The Cycle
by Drunken Philosophies
Summary: 24: The airbabies greet their newest family member.
1. Breathless

**Table Of Contents**

**Chapters 1-12 **— Oneshots that I've decided to keep even though I don't like them, but I have re-written this very first chapter you are on so you can perhaps get a taste of my writing style. (These are not connected with the rest of the chapters.)

**Chapters 13-23 **— Part 1 of the storyline I've currently planned. You don't need to read these to understand the events that will take place in Part 2 since they're only about adventures in the Spirit World and such, however they are all packed with foreshadowing. It's not my best writing, neither are the oneshots, because they are the result of me dumping my feels in writing and posting them. The 2nd part should be much better since it has structure and planning and I know a lot more—it's close to six months now since I posted Chapter 13, "A New Beginning" (as of June 2015).

**Chapter 24 **— Intermission. A fun little piece of "fluff" in lieu of a real update. Takes place nine months after the last chapter.

**Chapter 25-? **— Part 2. Look forward to this soon...

* * *

An enormous rock hurdled towards the Avatar. Or no, rather, she was hurdling towards it and at an alarming rate. Without warning she crashed into the ground hard, shaking the entire platform, making every single bone in her body feel as if they were being crushed beneath her own weight. Her eyes were closed, trying to feel something else besides the poison flowing through her veins. As she lay there she felt the otherworldly powers start to leave her and an overpowering fatigue began to settle over her body. She hardly noticed the cool hands of wind, the element most elusive to her, start to pick up her torso and hold her in place. An anomaly rose before her shining eyes, performing waving arm movements imitating the flow of oxygen as it left her lungs, leaving her breathless.

"Korra!"

The girl shot up with a pained gasp, her pupils blown wide, mind frightened and alert. She took in so much air that her heart started pumping faster out of adrenaline spiked fear and the sudden increase of oxygen intake. With a chest that was heaving, her eyes flittered over to the person who called out her name. Asami was sitting on her haunches next to her bed, both hands gripping tightly onto Korra's taut, muscled forearm.

"Y—you alright?" came the wary question.

"...yeah," the injured woman spoke, not nodding, but switching her gaze to focus sharply on that shadowy niche next to a plant. Cold sweat ran down her forehead, mixing with other fluid that was already there from before and Korra briefly wonders where it came from.

"No you're clearly not," Asami jerked back Korra's attention.

"What are you talking about?" she scowled slightly.

Asami responded with a sad frown and moved to place herself on the edge of the mattress. "Korra..." she began, resisting the urge to cup the Avatar's angry face. "This is the third time tonight."

Her tired blue eyes widened. "What?"

"You're really worrying me...all of us. "

The two women sat barely apart on the mattress. Darkness consumed every corner of the room except for one spot of light shone upon by the moon. A lone illuminated chair was where Korra guessed Asami had been sitting and keeping watch over her, waiting patiently for the next nightmare to harrow the broken girl's already fragile psyche.

"I'm sorry, don't worry though. I'm fine."

"Like I said, you're not," Asami said unwavering.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Korra retorted.

"You're obviously not fine or alright, you're anything but! Tell me what's wrong so I can help you!" the engineer raised her voice, almost a pleading tone, then sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, it was a stupid question to ask. I just wanted you to feel..." she never finished that sentence, instead looking sideways.

It made Korra feel guilty that Asami was so troubled and stressed over her, so she decided not to share the details of the dreams that plagued her. "I can't talk about it."

"You can't or you won't?" Asami's sharp reply took her back.

"I—I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Asami pressed on.

"Just. Stop. Okay?" Korra pleaded.

"No, you're having nightmares," the young CEO was growing impatient. "I know exactly what you're going through. I couldn't sleep uninterrupted after I found out about my father's secret. I'm not letting you do this alone when I know I can help."

"Believe me Asami when I say there's nothing you can do right now," the Avatar said coldly. "Just let me go back to sleep."

Asami just sat there. Without responding she took off, leaving Korra to her desired loneliness. She started to berate herself, how does she keep messing things up? First her legs go, now she's pushing away all her friends. She won't cry over it however, she has to stay strong.

Starting to doze off she hears a noise at the window. It's a low scratching sound. Suddenly there's movement. The mass at the foot of her bed collapses with a whine to reveal four menacing silhouettes peering through the freshly made circular incision at the glass. Summoning her fiercest element, the Avatar springs into action only to run into sharp resistance. A dart pierces her pants and burrows deep into her thigh, spreading a sensation of numbness through her being. After falling back on Naga, Korra's hoisted up by a muscular man covered in tattoos.

"The new age is upon us, the Avatar is in our hands."

For the fourth time, a familiar sound of breathless gasping echoed into Asami's room. Here the bed is made and untouched, she hasn't slept in it for two weeks. Even though she couldn't stand looking at Korra after the Avatar's statement, she couldn't leave either and go too far. By the time the other teen had walked in, Korra hadn't regained her composure. Scrambling to wipe the sweat off her brow and untangle her hair, she sat up straight and watched Asami approach.

"Don't." She held her hand out.

"Don't what?" Asami asked, puzzled.

"Don't ask if I'm fine."

"Because you're not," the heiress replied.

Korra huffed. "I don't want you worrying about me."

"Well maybe you should be worrying a little more about yourself."

The Avatar was still struggling to settle her shaking self. Breath only becoming more ragged as she fought. Then Asami took hold of the younger woman's hands to steady them while crouching in front of her.

"We are all worried about you, but you don't seem to notice that. You only care about everybody else, not once do you take time for yourself."

Korra's nerves only got worse as the heiress continued.

"You are the most selfless person I've ever met. Remember when you told us you thought my dad was an equalist? I didn't hate you then, never did, I was just disappointed. Then when I saw the truth, I don't think I ever thanked you for that."

The girl from the Southern Water Tribe had vivid recollections of the fear of losing her friends. Not so much of losing Asami though, back then when they hardly knew each other, but still there was always that guilt. Now times are different and those feelings are back full force for ruining the girl's life.

"You shouldn't...thank me...for that." Korra struggled.

"I should, and all of us actually owe you thanks now that I think about it."

"For what? I haven't...done anything...for you. All I've done is...make things w-worse."

"No you haven't," Asami felt her fingers clench around warm ones. Coffee against milk. "All you've done is loved us, and we're very grateful for that."

Korra looked deep into the luscious green eyes of the non-bender. Only a year older, she seemed as wise as all of Korra's past-lives.

"Bolin and Opal haven't left each other's sides since we came back. Mako has spent more time with us and his new-found family. Lin and Su are planning something big in Zaofu. Tenzin is overjoyed at all the new airbenders pouring in from all over the world. People can sleep easier at night, knowing you're back in Republic City and with the threat of the Red Lotus dying down. I can sleep easier knowing you're alive. We haven't given up on you. Don't give up on yourself."

The sentence had barely left Asami's mouth before the nervous trembling had become too much for the young Avatar, turning into full-blown hysteria. Her hand was brought up to muffle the soft whimpers escaping her mouth as Asami moved to stroke the crying girl's back comfortingly.

"It's okay Korra. Don't worry about anything," Asami soothed. "You have yet to cry when everybody else has, even though you have the most reason to."


	2. Home

"What does Zaheer want with me?"

The sea and the ocean and its waves all seem to gather in harmony, but beyond them a fierce light flickers with the energy of a thousand lives. Beneath that transparent glow, a resolve and sense of steadiness is implanted before a calm swirling of constant change. The Avatar's eyes showed all of her emotions in one small, vulnerable spot.

"I don't know Korra, and I don't want to think about it."

"Why not?"

The heiress backed away slightly from the jeep. "I just don't want to imagine what could happen if he got to you."

The Avatar blinked. "Don't worry, Asami. He can't catch me when you guys have my back."

"I'm not so sure we'd be able to stop him when he tries again."

"What makes you so sure?"

"He almost had you, he won't fail next time."

"Yeah well, next time I won't be paralyzed." The Avatar said and went back to searching for Xaibau's Grove.

Still standing back a few feet from the concentrated master of all elements, Asami whispered to herself. "I know, and that makes it all worse."

* * *

What if an individual had the power to go back in time? To go back, change a few things around and then come back in a new future. Unfortunately, that's not an option. For everyone has to live with their mistakes, their failures, and their losses. That is the way we learn, that is the way of life. For one individual though, this power does come in one form. The ability to see the past and learn from it, because they've lived it a thousand times over.

Asami can't imagine what it would be like to have lost such a legacy, especially when that legacy is one you bear along with the fate of the world. That legacy you must fulfill, that legacy everyone looks up to and must be continued. Without it, the world hangs in the balance. The world who is so ungrateful for it that it blames it for all its problems.

Wooden panels creak under the shuffling of sheets. It's a chilly night, albeit nothing like the cold of the south. Tonight is a full moon. Its glow spreads light in the dark, revealing the truth in lies. Half-lidded green eyes examine the almost blue shine, following it to the far side of her room. She half expects a figure clad in the color of her element to be watching from afar.

Getting up from her bed she walks to the kitchen, grabs a glass and fills it with water. Everything tonight seems to remind her of the Avatar. Not that Asami could keep her mind off her anyway.

Sighing deeply she leans against the sink and closes her eyes.

"Can't sleep?"

"I was about to ask you the same."

"That's no way to treat a woman of my age."

The women share a quiet laughter.

"Yin, I just don't know what to do."

"If only I had a yuan for every time I've heard someone say that." the elder replied.

Asami's nose crinkled up. "You'd be as rich as-

"You."

"Well now, I-"

"But I wouldn't be any wiser."

"What?"

Grandma Yin was maybe half Asami's height, yet the engineer felt reverent and undignified in the elder's presence.

"It's a question I simply can't answer, no matter how many times I've tried," Yin said. "It's just up to ourselves to decide what is next."

"I'm guessing you don't believe in fate," Asami said, swirling her glass of water.

"No. I'm saying that everyone has their own path, their own choices, their own difficulties. The only differences between us is how we learn from them."

Asami felt her hands leaving the cold glass, being replaced by wrinkled yet warm ones, just as she had to Korra a few nights ago.

"It doesn't matter what anyone tells us, in the end it's all up to you."

"Thanks Yin," Asami said gratefully. "You're a great grandmother."

"And you are a wonderful imaginary grandchild," the elder laughed and returned the hug.


	3. Letters

Dear Korra,

I hope you feel better. Things are pretty boring over here without you. I know, I know. It's probably only been a few hours. Unless you are reading this a week later after I gave you this or something. Whatever. Anyways, I already miss you.

-Bolin

* * *

Dear miss Korra,

Now it's been TWO days at least. I know, I can't hold myself. And really it hasn't even been two days, it's been like a day since you left and I'm already writing you. I have no patience. Besides, this letter won't reach you in maybe three days time so it's fine. I gotta stop though, Mako keeps dragging me away from the desk telling me that if I already miss you this much then I won't be able to function for the next few days. He should know, I was practically incapacitated after Opal left. I mean- sorry, I didn't mean, incapacitated... I'm just gonna stop.

-Bo

* * *

Hey Kor,

Is it alright if I called you Kor? Well, I wouldn't know unless you wrote back... Sorry, I don't mean to blame you or anything for not writing back. I know you must be busy with all that... recovering and... uhh... stuff. Alright it's my fault. I'm not giving you a chance to reply with all these letters I'm sending that you have to read, and then you don't have enough time to write. I'm just gonna give it a break for now.

-Nuktuk

* * *

Korra!

I got your letter, thanks for writing back! Mako was beginning to worry when I sat up a tent outside the post office. He made me tear it down though. So you asked me what we've been up to. Well, like I told you, I spent a couple of hours every day waiting for your response. Other than that I've helped our family find a new home in Republic City. Mako and I used our collective money from my movers and his detective job to get them a nice apartment. It was a building built by an earthbender so they already feel at home. I guess I owe you thanks for this. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to meet our grandmother. She and Asami have really hit it off. Speaking of Asami, she's been great hanging out with the family, and her business has really taken off after the recent decline of Cabbage Corp. Basically things are great, but they're missing one thing. I hope you and Naga are okay. Pabu really misses his other half.

Yours truly,

-Bolin

* * *

Hey Korra,

So its been a while, how are you doing by the way? I hope it's not too cold down there. We all miss you, not having seen you for two months you know. Please, tell me what you've been up to. I'd love to know. This is a short letter, I know. I just can't wait for you to get back, I have so much to tell you.

-Asami


	4. Escape

"What's that?"

"I don't know," the White Lotus guard spoke. "I think it's another letter from one of the Avatar's friends."

The older guard nodded briefly. "Just leave them there with the rest."

"They keep on getting more and more," the younger one said. "Don't you think it's time we tell them?"

"That's not our decision, son." He looked over his shoulder quickly, flinging his gray hair.

"I know, but if one of my friends were missing I would have liked to know."

"Especially if it was the Avatar."

"Exactly!" the younger member exclaimed. "I just don't get why they're keeping this a secret."

"I don't either, but it's none of our business, son."

* * *

Flakes of snow were riding on the coming breeze. Avatar Korra caught one on her tongue and it melted instanly, vanishing on her bright red tongue. Naga looked out across the wasteland, raising her head high to capture a scent. Sensing the salty skin of an otter penguin meant there was food. Naga made a beeline for the icy shore, making sure to alert her companion of the close proximity of nutrition.

"No thanks Naga, I have my own food."

The polarbeardog made no hesitation as she plunged into the sea, surfacing soon enough with at least three successful captures. The watertribe girl was seated on a bank overlooking several icebergs traveling along the mild, barely flowing stream. Fish and beef jerky were no match for the two friends' ferocious eating habits and were devoured in seconds.

"Alright Naga, I guess we gotta go back. Unless we want the White Lotus to send out a search party."

Naga whimpered in response and took in the young girl's warrior tail with her mouth.

"Stop that!"

The polarbeardog puppy kept tugging at Korra's hair, beckoning the Avatar onto her back.

"I'm sorry girl, I can't ride you. You're too small."

"Korra, there you are!" said a gentle voice.

"Master Katara!"

The elder was approaching patiently. Her steps weren't heavy but they were slow, trudging through the snow. She kind of believed she would at least find some trace of the Avatar. Unfortunately they were only dreams of a time past. This was one of the spots she had found Korra and her companion after one of their almost daily escapes. That was before security became even stricter and the young Avatar became even more isolated. She was surrounded by people all the time, never gaining any privacy, or any free time. Her one place of solace had been taken away from her.

"Come now, Korra. We have to go."

"Please Master Katara, we just got here! Can't I stay a bit longer?"

"I'm sorry Korra, if I let you stay then it will be even harder for me to convince the White Lotus to let you be."

Truly, Katara was sorry for her. She had failed in keeping her promise to the precocious master of two elements at the time. However, this time there would be no failure. For she would forewarn the CEO of Future Industries, the two bending brothers, the sisters of Zaofu, and her own childen. Lastly, she would make sure that the White Lotus would regret it if they did not give the Avatar the space she so sorely needed. For wherever Korra was, Katara knew this was a journey the One had to take by herself.

* * *

"Guys, check this out!" The young industrialist was rushing down the hallway to the boys living quarters. "It's a letter from Korra!"

Three pairs of eyes **— **one amber, and two matching green ones **—** popped out of the doorway.

"What?" the trio sputtered simultaneously.

"Come on," Asami said as she bursted into the room. "I'll read it to**—** what happened here?"

Opal came up behind her and laughed. "Oh that was just an intense game of Pai Sho between me and Bolin."

"Who won again?" Mako joined the two women.

"I don't think that matters while the rules are still wrong," Bolin interjected. "Let's see what you've got there, Asami."

The airbender rolled eyes at her boyfriend. "I won," she whispered behind his back.

"Alright," the earthbender began as he almost sat down on Pabu who quickly rushed up to his neck. "It says it was sent more than a week ago."

The four of them eyed each other. "Well, maybe the weather was bad or something," Mako stated.

Asami sat across from Bolin and pushed away the pile of unfinished letters. "Let me see that," she said grabbing the envelope from his burly fingers.

As newly manicured fingers got to work on unraveling the piece of paper trapped within, some nervous pacing was taking place. The sundial outside the temple showed five-o-clock. It was closing time for the factories, and their CEO got out of work early as soon as a call came about the arrival of a particular message that was now held in her hands. Shaking hands that is. The four of them hadn't heard from their friend in more than a month, haven't seen her in three, and anxiety was beginning to creep into their lives. Now that an answer might be here regarding the delay, none of them were so sure they wanted to hear it.

An hour earlier the message had arrived in the great, all-metal construct of a city; Zaofu. Equally unsteady hands opened the delicate piece of parchment and two pairs of curious yet weary eyes studied the unusual form of communication, since their city was a fortress with a strong radio connection.

The two guards that held the post office in the morning were called to a meeting of atleast a hundred other members to discuss this peculiar message. Although the short distance between its sender and reciever, it had taken more than a week to arrive. Extremely unusual by itself, but even more so considering it was from the most powerful waterbender in the world, accompanied by the most powerful earthbender in the world.

A trio of beds were occupied by the sons and daughters of the first and only airbending master of the previous generation. They had been sent to sleep shortly after Pema realized what she had been holding so carelessly in her hands, next to a boiling pot of tea. The leader of the Order of the Airbenders rushed home to his wife to find her holding the unraveled parchment, signed by his mother and Toph Beifong. Tenzin called out to his siblings to read it together, and when they did they knew that its information must never leave this house. Unbeknownst to them, there existed three more letters in the world, ready to be broadcasted to all the nations.


	5. Past Lives

Asami couldn't stop thinking about that faithful day. Waving her best friend off on her leave of absence. Going away, and never coming back. They hadn't known each other for very long, just close to a year. Then again that was probably a record for the heiress. She couldn't keep close friends for very long. Either due to them not being able to see past her position as a monopoly owner, or having prejudices about the CEO. The only exceptions were Mako, Bolin and Korra. The first two were busy with jobs, and the last one was gone forever.

It seemed as though all her friends left her.

Staring out into the blissful sea of Yue Bay, the skyline merged with the descending sun revealing the clinging Spirit vines to the tallest highrises, Asami took a deep breath. She didn't want to be here. Finding herself on the balcony of City Hall, away from the chattering going on inside, she dreamt of times long ago. Someone took an aloof stance beside her, this character with a wry grin on his face and undulating eyebrows took in the marvel that was the 22-year old owner of Future Industries. The last thing she wanted was for someone to interrupt her thoughts.

"I assume you are Ms. Asami Sato am I right?" the short man spoke. "Emphasis on missus."

"And to whom do I owe company?" she replied without a glance.

"You don't know who I am?" he said with feigned shock. "I am the prince of the new Earth Kingdom."

"Look, Wu," she said annoyed. "Don't be offended, but I have no interest in speaking with anyone at the moment. Please do us a favor and leave the missus alone."

Truly taken aback this time, the prince resignedly bowed and made his way back inside. Asami was left to her pondering once more. That man was nothing short of a creep and was constantly overstepping boundaries. Superhuman? Only the spirits know which person Asami's mind wandered to.

Continually being interrupted time after time, the heiress decided it was time to leave. Exiting the congratulatory gala, she made her way to the park. Asami stopped the Satomobile before making contact with a fence-post in front, which painted shadows on the grass ahead. She turned the key and stored it safely in her pocket, stepping out in the warm air with a gaze fixated on her destination. Growing every step of the way, the 30-foot statue rose and towered above, when in reality its original was just below Asami's hairline. Centered in Avatar Korra park was a tribute to the One it was named after.

Ironic how this representation was so wrong in so many ways. Only the Avatar's inner circle knew this. Korra's typical wry smile was non-existent, replaced by an expression of determination. Eyes were cold and set in literal stone, so uncharacteristic of the constant change brought forth by this woman to all and everything around her. Asami found how immediately things got dull and boring after Korra left Republic City. Even though things returned to relative normality, so much had happened that you just couldn't forget. Moving on was not a choice. So until Korra decided to return, she had left everyone living in the past while she alone had probably moved on.

It was a painful thing to think of, that her best friend had forgotten about her. After all they had been through it was just strange. Gazing up at the stars, a tear rolled down Asami's cheek and fell onto the ground. A particularly horrific memory had graced her mind. To watch helplessly over and over as the one person who was responsible for all good in the world fall again and again to perhaps never rise again. For the power inside her was tired as well. An ages old legacy was lost for good and the many who were gone were too much to bear. A last display of the force possessed by this deity was apparently not the end. However all it wanted to do was end. Korra wanted to die.

As hard and frustrating it was to watch someone so strong fall apart, no one could even begin to imagine what the girl was thinking. For no one alive nor dead had in ten thousand years experienced the pain of this 17-year old. None to help, none to salvage, none to repair and heal. So with only herself to blame and herself to turn to, Korra shifted inwards, shutting out the world that had thrown so much at her and was still not yet finished.

After the working day was over, Asami Sato always took a trip here to say goodnight. When her past life as a member of Team Avatar crumbled, she took to the massive piles of paperwork building up on her desk. Burying herself in work allowed the company to flourish and soon enough the city was in debt to her. Cleaning up the surroundings of the Spirit wilds, constructing monorails in the city and rebuilding the Central Terminal. Her philosophy for moving on was to confront her own past before Korra, and to do so she needed the city to trust her. More importantly the city officials. After gaining the opportunity to an audience with President Raiko, she voiced her request immediately. After all her industry had done for the population her wish was granted. So for the first time in 4 years, Hiroshi Sato had a visitor.

Shivering at the thought of their conversation brought her back to the present. Asami read the plaque seated at the base of the huge statue for maybe the thousandth time:

Avatar Korra.

The youngest fully realized Avatar.

The last of a kind and an inspiration for change.

Born in the Southern Water Tribe, her trials and triumphs were many during her short time in this world.

Reading that always brought her back to that faithful day of waving goodbye. And then two months later, of receiving a letter signed by Katara and Toph Beifong. Its contents had undoubtedly shocked the world, except for the inner circle. All of them knew this information already, yet when it was shared the expected backlash was non-existant. All that was left was a profound sadness and understanding for their Avatar. The inhabitants of the world profusely apologized to Korra's closest friends, unable to find Korra herself. Because like a time long ago, the Avatar had vanished when she was needed the most.


	6. Alone

As soon as Korra could walk, she ran. She ran far, far away from home. Away from her family and her friends and Naga. Running from her duties as the Avatar, as if she had any. The Order of the Airbenders have practically taken over her identity as peacekeepers and protectors. When asked who she was she could tell you immediately; "I am the Avatar," but she wasn't so sure anymore. Even when she was a prodigious 4-year-old she knew who, or maybe _what, _she was. Now back further than square one, lost without a purpose, Korra did what she knew best; fight.

But there was no reason to fight back. So she remained passive, taking blows from her opponent, receiving hard hit after hit. One particularly fast boulder was thrown her way and soon enough Korra was on the floor.

"Is that all you got?" she managed.

Getting up in a crouching position Korra provoked her opponent with a kick, causing her to counter-attack Korra with her own rocks. Knocked down once more, she shakily brought her head up and watched the other fighter poised to strike. Her still weakened body buckled under her weight and she cursed herself. _So very tired. So. Tired. And it hurt. _Pain was good though. It reminded her that she was still alive. This however meant that to feel any considerable amount of pain, Korra had to go through some brutal treatment. Her nerve-endings were damaged by poison and generally, pain was an all too familiar sensation.

Happy to be feeling anything for once, there was a downside to brawling. Every so often she would get the wind knocked out of her, and she would struggle against a panic-attack and from going into the Avatar State. It reminded her too much of getting the air sucked out of her lungs. No matter how far she went, there was no outrunning her past. You could not elude death.

Yet here she was, still breathing with a weakened soul, in the heart of the Earth Kingdom.

There was really no better reason for Korra to flee other than to be able to take care of herself for once. Her entire life she had been cared for by others, now with no one to look over her shoulder she felt free somehow. There was literally no one else but her. The voices of the past have long since died, and along with them the meaning of the Avatar was disintegrated. In a rapidly changing world, there seemed to be no space for a deity like her. It was so unfair. Why did she have to be the Avatar? Although, who was she to complain? She has money, food, a place to stay, and people who need her... right? No, she had left all that behind. They were better off without her.

She couldn't believe what was said on the radio though. Since when did people feel sorry for her? Korra was tired of being pitied anyway. It was one of the main reasons she left, she couldn't stand those looks of people who _thought_ they understood. But mostly she couldn't stand to look at herself in the mirror. Most people probably thought it was best that she vanished, and she didn't blame them, she agreed with them.

With her hate for herself mirroring the world's, Korra had nothing left to lose. She was truly disconnected, negative, and unbalanced.

_This is my new home_, Korra thought. _No going back... I just miss the snow, and my parents. And Naga. _The thought of Korra's parents punched an even deeper hole in her chest. _Yes, I am not the only one living an unfair life. But I have left them in a good place, they won't miss me. Dad is chief of the tribe now, and his palace is protected by the Southern Lights. Good thing those letters work and he hasn't come looking for me. _Technically, being the daughter of the chief made her royalty. Although that was probably the last thing on her mind. Thoughts flashed back to her friends, and those glory-filled probending days. Good times. Simpler times. _Thank you Katara and Toph for those letters, I wouldn't want anyone finding me like this... What must they think of me now?_ Suddenly a fear not unlike the one that gripped her tight during nightmares, overcame Korra. _NO! I can't go back! I don't want to anymore! This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. _The Avatar was doomed to be afraid forever, whether it be Amon, Vatuu, or even her inner demons. There was no escape, and she knew it.

Silently sobbing to herself she rose with sniffle and got out of the ring. No one noticed.

It didn't take long before the small arena emptied, Korra was the only one left. A figure emerged from the shadows and dumped a small wad of cash beside her. "Here, for your _lackluster_ participation."

At least she got payed to get beat up, other than losing her bending or something. And normally Korra would've reacted to him saying that, but she didn't care. "Thanks."

"You know, you look very familiar," he said arching a brow. "Yeah! You... you kinda look like that Avatar girl!"

With a black eye and a million-mile stare she simply responded, "I get that a lot."

"What ever happened to her anyway?"

Oh yeah, what did happen to that young, innocent, sheltered teenager from the south who held so much promise and responsibility? With her glowing smile and infectious laughter, and sapphire eyes deeper than any lagoon, holding overpowering confidence and natural fighting spirit. What became of the soldier girl with a reason to fight for what she believed in? What happened to her will to live?

"I wouldn't know." Korra said as she disappeared into the shadows.

**A/N: This was kind of a let-out-some-steam chapter for me. After the premiere I am torn in half. The writers did a great job and their portrayal of Korra when she's down on her luck makes sense for the story and perfectly describes metaphorically what kind of a place she is in right now. But it just hurt to watch Korra get beaten down by... a nobody essentially. To see someone who vanquished pure chaos from the world, defeated anarchists, ended a power-hungry equalist, taken down by some random earthbender was painful. Who could blame her though for running away, for everything. After enduring so much in a year (and only being seventeen), and then recovering for two or two and half years maybe, it's a miracle she hasn't done anything more harmful to herself (like suicide, which to me shows how strong she is). I don't remember exactly what Iroh said, but he did tell Zuko something about inner strength during our darkest times, and that Guru that helped Aang spoke of being balanced yourself before bringing balance to the world. And the lion turtle preaching about the true soul weathering all lies.**

**And then we have the airbenders. Another great reason for Korra to run away after being repeatedly told that the Avatar wasn't needed anymore, especially after Tenzin's speech. So now she can finally focus on figuring out who Korra is. I'm looking forward to that episode that is all about Korra's recovery (hinted at by bryke in some new interview), we are in for an epic season guys.**

**In short: Don't touch me, I'm not okay. I just want to see Korra the same way we saw her in the very beginning. Stonger than ever, wiser than before, and good lord I will not accept a finale with her in a hospital bed.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Reincarnation

**THIS CHAPTER IS BOOK 4 EPISODE 2 SPOILERS:**

**A/N: Alright, I messed up the previous chapter because Korra can't enter the Avatar State and apparently she wasn't a regular fighter in the arena and she was fighting a vision (or a spirit, who knows). So my story will vary a bit from the original in a few details and stray away where I feel like (but not too far). This fic has become a dumping ground for all my ideas and feelings as the season progresses, just felt I needed to explain that.**

**Enjoy!**

"You seem to know your place in the world," the woman in the reception said with a wicked grin. "Getting beaten down until you can't stand up anymore."

That was funny. Seriously. There was nothing remotely humorous about the situation yet Korra felt like laughing at herself and everything that had happened. But on the outside she kept her stiff expression like an airship struggling to keep afloat, fighting to keep up.

"I wish."

Upon leaving the woman who owned the small arena, Korra went in search for a water source. She needed to relieve the pain. Though unable to feel the full hurt due to her impaired senses, she figured it must be bad when it felt the way it did. The crane whistled on and let a weak stream of water out. It flowed strangely out of the deformed tap, like a slow river ending in a huge waterfall. She looked up. Once again she felt like laughing in her own face. What she saw perfectly resembled how everyone, including herself, felt about her. The cracks in the mirror formed so impeccably over her features, you'd think it was intentional.

Gazing down once again, Korra focused on healing.

* * *

Just like old times. Korra loved to fight. And now finally she could, and she couldn't wait to show Tenzin the progress she'd made. This time she wasn't fighting for her firebending test though, she was only fighting for herself. Korra felt happy and smiled like it was nothing. This was as close as she could get to the time before she ever left for Republic City. Before she became afraid, before she met... _Zaheer. _The grin on her face vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Her steps became sluggish and she faltered, striking blindly at whatever was attacking her, knocking her down so she couldn't get back up. She punched wildly around at whatever was pushing her down and not leaving her alone until it was sure she would never rise again.

"Alright! The sparring match is over!" Tenzin hollered at her assailants.

Shameful. Pitiful. Korra couldn't bear to look at anyone as she got back up with the help of her former Master. "I thought I was ready."

"There is no shame in taking the time you need to make a full recovery," Tenzin stated. "Being the Avatar can wait."

Tenzin watched as Korra lifted her head and stared at him with full blue eyes. He almost feared she would lash out like she usually did so many months ago. Instead she responded; "What about the Earth Kingdom?" Maybe time alone was good for her, she certainly had learned restraint. Or was he mistaken? Was there some other reason she didn't fully become angered? Either way he was in awe like always when the first concern Korra had was of other people. "I hear it's still a mess out there."

"The situation has been stabilizing since Kuvira took charge."

"But that should be me out there fixing things, not _her_."

"I know you want to help," Tenzin said. _Please let me help you._ "But trust me, everyone has this under control. I just think you need to-" the old airbending master trailed off.

"If you say be patient I swear I'm gonna watersmack you in the mouth," Korra spat.

"No... I was- going to say you need to... not worry about the future. Be grateful for where you are now and the progress you've made." Tenzin said as he saw the signature pout grow on his former student's mouth. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. Not at her, but at himself. She left all of them in such good places. Her friends, her family, the airnation. And here she was. Their Avatar who had sacrificed so much and let the lives she touched move on with greatness, was left in the dust, alone and hurt and lost and _broken_.

* * *

"I wanna go back to Republic City."

Tonraq and Senna looked at each other with baffled faces. But they were waiting for this and couldn't contain themselves almost.

"Are you sure?" Korra's mother asked.

"I know I'm not a hundred percent yet," she replied. "But I feel like I've hit a wall. I need to be where the action is; where my friends are."

As their daughter said this, they could swear they saw a glint of familiar hope in her azure eyes. The two of them shared a confirming gaze before Tonraq turned to his expectant child. "I'll have the White Lotus prepare a boat. And they can take you back to Republic City as soon as you're ready."

"No. I wanna go alone. And have some time to clear my head, it'll be good for me."

Blinded by their daughters brilliant initiative for recovery, as they waved her off they had no second thoughts about whether Korra really would be better off alone.

Because this was too similar like before. Where Korra had been content fighting, being isolated was not. Afraid that she'd make no more progress from here, she ran away.

* * *

Stepping out of the poorly maintained bathroom, Korra took in her surroundings. The banners strewn about the Metal Clan colony flapped synchronized in the air. Its images periodically untangled and revealed themselves like a fireferret playing dead and then re-animating. Between the wrinkled fabric one could see the icon of the Metal Clan and on one of them was a magnificent picture of Kuvira. The girl who saved her father. That girl who was now doing her job alongside the airbenders. Korra quickly diverted her eyes into the ground, something irked in the back of her mind like a leach. She could almost imagine Amon's face on the banner. As she did so her eye beat heavily in the middle of her face. She saw something else too. _The Phoenix King._

She was so deep in thought that the green-clad woman nearly missed the emergency honking of a panicked man in his Satomobile heading straight for impact. Korra dropped and rolled out of the way just in time, but the sudden exertion left her nauseous and disoriented. Out of nowhere, a tingling cold spread on her bare arms like snowfall and she looked up. What she saw made her want to flee to safety, wherever that was. How much longer could she keep this up? It would be so easy to just disappear for a hundred years she thought.

Throwing only one punch before violently crashing to the ground, Korra was met with the icy-cold stare of emotionless glowing eyes.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted and thrust all her remaining energy into the strike.

"Young lady, are you alright?" an elderly woman asked. "Can I take you to a doctor?"

"No. I-I don't need any help."

Korra ran as hard as her still-fragile legs allowed her to. Anywhere but the alleyway was better. Bugs and spirits alike crowded around street lights as Korra passed them by, and she did so without risking a glance. If she did she might trip and not be able to get up again, or she might lose focus and get run over for real. Not long after sprinting all out was Korra winded. _Already?_

As if on cue, _she_ showed up again.

But Korra wasn't running anymore. "I'm ending this."

* * *

For the third time that day did Korra feel like laughing out loud like a crazy. She was about to die, yet something about everything that happened to her was ironic. Because now she was living the last moments of her foe before he crashed to the ground for the last time. Her grip was slipping and she prepared to be swallowed up by the cold poison.

And the last thing that left Korra's mouth, for the first time in 3 years, as panicked and desperate as the Avatar could possibly sound, she shouted with all her might. "Help me!"

* * *

"Good to see you again twinkletoes."

There were no words for the feeling that completely eradicated Korra's heart. She stood before one of the few people in the world who knew Aang, and it was her fault he was gone. Her knees trembled and succumbed to the overpowering weight. Yet there were no tears. Korra didn't feel worthy of crying, or to stand in front of the greatest earthbender in the world.

"Korra right?" Toph inquired. "Look, I don't blame you."

The brown girl looked up from her low position.

Toph continued, "They didn't disappear for nothing."

_What is that supposed to mean?_

"You're still here aren't you? The Avatar cycle isn't over, even though you lost all your previous lives," Toph reassured, but the words stung deeply into Korra. "When you opened the portals you changed the world. It isn't your fault the world reacted the way it did to these changes. That is why you are here in the first place, to bring balance. A new age requires a new Avatar. Everything that the Avatar used to mean is no longer completely true. It doesn't matter what you were told as a child. You aren't Aang, you aren't Roku, and you aren't Kyoshi. You are Korra, and you will never fall irrelevant to the world. Only the world can become irrelevant to you. That is the most dangerous thing that can happen; if the Avatar chooses to ignore the world then all will be lost. You can't know why things occur the way they do. All you can do is to accept them, and move on. Some find comfort in thinking that everything happens for a reason. Whatever you do, know that you are not alone."

**A/N #2: Sorry if this chapter was so jumpy, I just needed to get this out. My theory is that Toph will guide Korra through unlocking her chakras to be able to enter the Avatar State once again. Starting with the earth chakra ;)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Suffering

=====Suffering=====

* * *

Tall raven heels clicked unsure against the marble surface as they tiptoed hurriedly along, passing desks with resting telephones and lamplights. Throughout the elegantly sculpted corridor, trees and plantlife decorated the hallway, giving life to an otherwise artificial environment. Found in-between considerable pillars were paintings of the founder and his wife. The girl thought the woman in the painting could easily just be an older version of herself. Suddenly she felt shallow. For her hair had been curled into soft locks that seemed to remind too much of her mother, yet no one had mentioned it out on the streets. She groped her clutch which held the last errand of the day, a delicate envelope. It was to be delivered to her, said the assistant, and no time should be wasted. She looked straight ahead. Despite the empty workplaces all around, light shone from underneath the door.

As the current owner of Future Industries crawled through a shallow opening of the massive doors, she could see how above hung those typical chandeliers you'd find in a hotel lobby but below them glimmered gentle fires over wood in their brick places. Hard cold stone was replaced by thick rugs made of silk; a pleasant contrast she thought.

Asami Sato stood there for a good while before the ticking of a clock brought her out of trance. It's hands smoothly transitioned over into the early hours of the morning. She sighed and slumped down in her leather chair by her wooden desk. _I've been here all night?_ Sleep was nearly impossible now when she had gotten a letter addressed to her signed by the chieftain's daughter. _A letter from __**Korra**__?_ It took at least ten minutes of sorting out her clouded mind, like she was running through a fog. When the fog settled, she was left shaking and grasping at this important piece of paper.

It had been _two years_. Far too long for any lack of response to be justified. But when it finally came, Asami didn't care, she couldn't stay mad. Instead she nearly ripped open the seal and clawed for the hidden jewel. It wasn't like she didn't expect it, but when she laid eyes on Korra's handwriting, they watered instantly.

_**Dear Asami,**_

_**I'm sorry I haven't written to you sooner, but every time I've tried I never know what to say.**_

Asami had to struggle to keep from ruining the rest of the writing with bulging tears.

_**The past two years have been the hardest of my life.**_

Five manicured fingers found their way to cover Asami's mouth as her eyes moved to read the rest. Though she found herself constantly re-reading, still in shock of what she held.

_**Even though I can get around fine now, I still can't go into the Avatar State.**_

_What? Korra can't go into the Avatar State?_ The heiress' heart ached as she powered through.

_**I keep having visions of Zaheer and what happened that day.**_

_No..._

_**Katara thinks a lot of this is in my head, so I've been meditating a lot. But sometimes I worry I'll never fully recover.**_

It was like a dam bursting. She couldn't hold it in anymore and a loud sob echoed in the office as Asami struggled to piece herself back together, enough so that she could continue.

_**Please don't tell Mako and Bolin I wrote you and not them.**_

Asami nodded vigorously into nothingness.

_**I don't want to hurt their feelings, but it's easier to tell you about this stuff. I don't think they'd understand.**_

And it was true. Asami understood everything. It was scary how much had become clear for her during these years, but the one thing stopping her from truly moving on was Korra. Now that she finally knew, she still couldn't go on. Not without seeing Korra again, not without hugging her tightly and kissing her forehead, not caring what would happen. Not without telling Korra that everything would be alright and that she was there for her. For Asami knew what it was like to lose something that defined you.

And spirits did it hurt, to know how Korra struggled for _two years_ while the rest of them simply moved on. Asami's memories took her back to the month she spent on Air Temple Island with Korra. All the times she learned of Korra's feelings of hopelessness returned full force. Not being able to walk, not being able to dress herself, not eating or sleeping, not doing anything that she used to be able to do. And one night, Korra revealed to Asami that she was tired, so tired, and she didn't care anymore that the airbenders took over her job. _"The world's better off with people who can actually protect them."_

If it hurt this much in all of the engineer, then Asami couldn't possibly imagine what Korra's gone through during all this time.

_**Love, Korra.**_

The last words of the letter. She'd read them now maybe a hundred times, always leaving her in a worse condition every time. This was the last time she'd read it, today. Because dawn was growing on the horizon and Asami was struggling to keep from trembling and constantly wiped at sorrowful eyes. Her back arched painfully each time she strained to hold her posture high, but failed ultimately and collapsed into the broken mess she wished had another body to hold. The Avatar's body specifically. On the floor, curled up with her knees neighboring her chest, she had one hopeful thought that made her heart swell minutely. _Korra wrote to me, not to anyone else. _That was all Asami needed to pull herself together finally, for Korra.


	9. Grown-Up

====Grown-Up====

* * *

Drop down in the snow and roll around like the otterseal you've become. Be one with the nature that birthed you and gripped hold of your heart for the rest of your degraded life. What are you? Nothing but a sad excuse of an animal. This was supposed to be a day off, one where the normal worries were not bothering you. Today was a special day, marking the moment when you left your mother's and entered the world, fresh and clean like the frozen water gathered around you. Ovals stare back at you hugely blue, barely contrasting with the surface they were reflected on. Those were the eyes of a person you once knew. Those were the eyes of a person you wish you knew again.

Unlike the place you ran to, this corner of the world never stopped blowing and sucking and biting with harshness. But, you love it. It's different from the human bitterness of the Republic. You miss it so, and you should be happy to be back in its violent grasp, but you're unfazed. Thoughts of the ones you left behind, blind you like the whiteness filling your mind. At least it's better than the complete darkness of your room in the temple, or in the palace. Beginning to liken prisons made of platinum, unbendable and unescapable.

Here, you're in control. The elements are at your command if you wished to move, but it's more comfortable here with your face buried beneath ice. You couldn't imagine being back in the city only three months later, and two months more than you promised. Not that you had a choice. What a let down for your friends if you came back in this state. It should only have taken a couple of weeks like you said.

It began to sting familiarly. In one side, then the other. Thinking it was the cold numbing your senses, you decided to at least get your cheek off the ground. Then you saw it again. Eyes split open, a vicious glow. Twas your hunter, your chaser, your demon. You closed off again. And reopened in coincidence with a resumed heartbeat and constrained intake of perpetual winter air.

Even here so far away, from the sites of different horrors plaguing your tired spirit, they can follow you. They can come where you can go, and can taunt you where you can't go. They laugh and spite and holler at you, to let go and join them even. But you couldn't forgive yourself enough to do that. You're not even good enough for them.

You resign to lie down once again. There's no reason to fight anymore. Why die _trying,_ when you can just _die_? Again, as if you could choose to not give up. The wheelchair was several feet away, lodged in the increasing snowfall. Stuck in your element, you might aswell not have powers of bending. You might as well not be the Avatar.

Especially since the voice that defined you as such had left ever since saving their life.

You're finally alone, you got what you wanted, why aren't you better? You feel less strangled than inside over there by the Palace and all the people. Saying they wished you the best but simply wanted you back to do their bidding and save their world. You were theirs, not yourself. So even without that pressure of maintaining a barely supported mask of fake reassurance, you still didn't feel like yourself. You figured you never would again, thinking back to the amount of time already spent, and the time yet to be wasted.

No one could help. Not Katara, not mom or dad, not Naga, not even... Asami. Who else but her that was left could possibly understand at least a tiny grain of the troubles held in that massive bag that you constantly carried around? That massive sack of unreal responsibilities, un-met expectations, and foul truths about your existence as a cripple.

Your promise of responding to her amiable letters, faded away to be remembered another day as you gave into your animal instincts. The fear subsided and left a soothing sense of recognizable cold, it washed over you like a frozen flood, taking you with it out into oblivion.

"Korra!" a voice cried out.

"Korra!" it repeated. "We were so worried about you!"

"Mom?"

"Don't ever do that again, Korra!" she said and hugged her warming daughter.

When she pulled back ever so slightly, Korra got her bearings and identified this as her parents' room. There was a fire brewing and she was wrapped numb in cloths, or maybe she was too cold to feel. Not that there was much to sense, for the lower half of her had essentially become intangible and unmovable. Her attention returned to her mother and she took to a soft, almost apologetic tune that she often used when with Naga. It was just their way of communicating.

"I'm sorry, mom. For everything."

Senna pulled back somewhat now as well. "What do you mean, Korra?" she asked, concerned. With the dimming pairs of blues that were shared between them. One of them were becoming grey, and the other, older, still had the vigor no longer inhabiting the young. She wished she could give Korra back her life.

"I'm sorry I wasn't a better Avatar."

"What?" The tone her own mother produced took Korra aback as Senna continued. "You were the best you could be and no one can ask for any more, Korra. We love you sweetie," she said, becoming gentle mundane oceanic waves once again.

"I know, mom," Korra choked. But she was much too weak to hold back a whimper and clung to the fabric of her mother's robes in lieu of alabaster fur.

"Happy birthday, dear."

They cradled each other, letting the intimate home of snow embrace them both. She was eighteen and still couldn't walk, but she could atleast cry once again.

**A/N: Does anyone wanna Beta-read?**

**This was just a short little flashback story of an idea I had, where Korra celebrates her birthday. Alone, in a wheelchair, in the south pole.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chi

=====Chi=====

* * *

She silently declared that enough was enough and turned to face those who she had touched, in another time, in another life, and again even now. They looked to her in anticipation for what was unbeknownst to them, a historical event. In the sense that it had never been attempted before, simply because there was none as injured to test it. But, when was just being in the Avatar's presence not a historic moment worth cherishing? The four of them had unequivocal faith in her, but one of them would rather be hung off her feet upside down than to admit it. The Master's pride was too great, for herself and this woman. Even though the expectations were unjustifiably high, there was no hesitation in the woman's face when they stood and she stated that she was ready.

She began the process of cleansing. Searching within to purge and relinquish a deep-seated impurity, with churning motions of the arms, stance firm and rigid. Damp, moist air, filled large lungs crafted by a lifetime of extreme activity, feeding a powerful heart twice the size of the average. Her blood coursed speedily along healthy veins, fueling stirring sculpted muscle, pushing out the vile burdening substance. A structure created by the Spirits themselves, harbouring and protecting the greatest of them all. Body and mind worked to free itself, to do something against its plaguing demon. It would not give up.

Yet there he was, relentless in his objective, to end her and all that she stood for. The woman grasped her chest stiff. Let go, her mantra echoed and she reaffirmed a position. The four people of varying size and age watched over what might unfold as the Avatar stood before them in preparation of self-purification.

Zaheer is gone.

Reassuming swirling action, the poison fled her body through stretched fingers, accumulating ahead in a small undulating bubble. Three little kids in aerodynamic suits gawked in awe. The earthbender hovered a seal made of rock that encapsulated the menacing liquid, afraid it should make contact with anyone but the Avatar.

"Well done, Korra," her smirk said it all.

Korra's eyes burst open with vivacious yet haunting energy, as the literal spirited voice of light itself spread out and accessed all corners of their shared being once again.

She felt free. Her energy was flowing. She was back.

**A/N: In case you haven't noticed, I like to hyperbole everything about Korra because I love her so much. I loved this scene in the show, and I like to think that it wasn't just the poison stopping her from entering the Avatar State, but her earth chakra was blocked. And the earth chakra is blocked by fear...**

**Also, apologies that this was so short.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-DP**


	11. Game of Trust

_**=+= Game of Trust =+=**_

Imagining a portly frame on his slendered shape did no favors for her. Welcome change or not for his health–after countless arguments about that spiking needle on the weight scale–she could not find it in her to care. Anxiety ruled his age enhanced features as he motioned solemnly for her to join him in the game. Doing as asked, her lithe fingers slipped along the board to move a tile across two of his pieces and claim them as her own. Copper irises like burned wood, scanned the far proximity of the table, the Pai Sho, and his daughter.

She was a beauty, and that word was foreign in here. Although refinement and routine dominated the prison halls, there was not much of alluring quality to behold. Sitting parallel to his greatest sacred creation, he thought of how similar those two utmost beloved to him had become. She was taller. Her hair was still black but styled in the sort of way that screamed "powerful independent woman" with a rather long, glorious tail hanging behind in a simple red rubber band. That was a Sato. The daughter of his wife and an heir to the multibillion-yuan company he built from a single generous loan. Asami was a mirror image of Wei, and he was a crack in the reflection.

They both noticed each other's distressed yet calm faces but made no other moves than on that wooden board in front of them. It became mechanical. To move one space, then wait for the next turn to plan your strategy. Attack or defend. Neither knew what to say and in their heads the cogs were turning. Both remained at the same gear, too scared or afraid to throttle ahead and leave behind what they had in the moment, like a sputtering Satomobile on it's last highway road trip to the scrapyard cemetery.

The heiress began to spin a tile between two manicured fingers, holding it in front of her, mimicking a wheel. Hiroshi wasn't exactly in a position to make demands and wasn't about to chase away his daughter after seeing her again for the first time since he tried to murder her. While her face was raw with determination, his was filled with regret when he began wording that first question.

"How are you, Asami?"

The woman in question looked up to see him with his hands folded somewhere underneath the table. Her father looked desperate, he never looked desperate. After four years, the words that normally came so easily to the jolly, chuckling entrepreneur, had a difficult time reaching his tongue.

"I'm fine," she responded kindly.

Conversations and negotiations were her speciality, but the act of speaking with Hiroshi she was sure was more difficult than trying to sign a contract with Cabbage Corp. They were both trained people of business and the perpetual game of money had left those two stone-faced and infallible, and neither would give in, normally. They stood a lot to lose and only one of them had fallen far enough to admit that. His attempts to make amends would take a lot longer than the few seconds it took to destroy her trust.

For several moments only the clicking of pieces being laid with care, and sometimes hesitation, on a flat surface could be heard. The rugged looking ex-billionaire with slightly slumped shoulders and stable breathing—thanks to the lack of a protruding belly—tended to fiddle with and scratch his beard, the same shade as his convict clothing. This 54-year old man balanced his spectacles on the narrow bridge of his nose. At least he got to keep those. Though he would have preferred another pair rather than these gold-lined glasses; a gift from the late Wei Sato.

If one were to look on at a snowy evening through a window, the pair and their setting could be described as peaceful and serene. Two things hindered the illusion. You could try to explain his ashen clothing to be a fashion statement... that said "I'm a proud committer of felony, engaging in a Pai-Showdown with my only child." And the other, was the missing overzealous view to peek in from. Practically luxurious was the jail's visitor room, undoubtedly covering up the rest of the building's dreary interior. But unlike their mansion shared for the better part of her life, this room replaced glass with bars. It was warm and inviting, yet hollow and condemning.

Asami could not find herself enjoying their time together any more than her limited suspension of disbelief allowed. The delusion that she was in fact not playing against her father in their living room, but in this guarded, un-private, and scrutinized meeting, kept her on edge. She withheld no more the suppressed bubbling rage, letting it gradually surface into a predatory gaze. A well-used expression that some regulars at her office knew very well, utilized in especially tiring meetings with officials where a bit of intimidation went a long way.

Through the gleaming of his golden circular frames, he might as well have been looking at the wife herself. His heir had inherited that glare to great effect and he saw no purpose in arguing with it. There were answers to be revealed for questions that would surely be cast.

"One of the many things," she began, "that have bothered me over the years was how you thought destroying an entire culture and people, was justified because one bad apple decided to go and murder someone, and that someone happened to be my mother, and a non-bender. Did it ever occur to you that it was an unfortunate coincidence? That you can't blame all of them for one individual's mistake?"

The convicted of the two non-benders took time to formulate his monologue correctly. This was his first and possibly last chance to utter words that have eaten him up since the day he was thrown in a metal cage. "This was never how I envisioned things happening. I wanted you by my side and was furious when the last person I cared for left me, and only now do I realize that it was I who left you. I can forever beg of the police's amnesty, but when I get out, if you are not there then I might as well be with my wife if she can forgive me. And unless I manage to make peace with you, I imagine there is only the Fog of Lost Souls waiting for a man like me to devour."

Laying forgotten between them was their shared escape to a simpler life, where the only troubles were to figure out what to do on that day. A free day to spend away from their private, isolating, huge estate. Among the suggestions were: go to the park, which Asami didn't really care for because it was autumn and she knew her nose would get stuffed like her wolen platypus bear by pollen. If she did however agree on taking their pet chihuahua-rat, there would be an ice cream reward. The 6-year old decided against it.

Instead her choice lay in fetching one of the prototype Future Industries boats and taking it for a spin into Yue Bay. The little girl had a thing for engines and the speed they could achieve. So when her father agreed to let his wife and daughter into one of the workshops to try out his latest invention, they all (especially Asami) parted ways from their family meeting jubilant as ever.

Rattling the hot-off-the-presses, brand new framework, the equally fresh engine (which Asami was just beginning to get an understanding of) gained a hundred knots in a few seconds to rocket the pair through water like a knife against butter. The cutting edge of technology.

Little Asami glanced innocently over at her mother and saw that luscious hair that instantly brought her back to reality. While her own curled locks left the view, a man scrunched up under rich, shining glasses that seemed to be burrowing into his face, re-captured her seemingly fleeting attention.

"Look, I need you to stop attacking my running boys," Hiroshi spoke. "They've done nothing to you and if I don't deliver these next few messages, I'll be out of an important deal."

Of all the thugs in the room, the smallest and least intimidating one had the required brain-power to retaliate in other means than violence, such as words. "It is not our fault, Mr Sato, that your errand boys have a route through our territory. I think you will find it in your best interest to just pay up, and we'll leave the guys alone. Just make sure we won't have to bother with another one of them interfering."

After a small 'business meeting' with his dear Asami and wife, the day carried on and slowly broke his pleasant mood, when finally it was time to take care of real business. "Fine. Here's the money."

A large platinum suitcase jolted the table. Two clicks and five men were towering over the apparently glowing merchandise. "I think we can agree that you have made a wise decision," said the Agni Kai.

Just below, a few levels, a motorboat carrying two red-clad individuals, one short and one tall, lurched into harbor.

"I hope you're not blaming Amon for this." His daughter's voice broke the painful recollection. "You are at as much fault as he was, and his name was Noatak. He was from the Northern Water Tribe."

"I know that he was a waterbender," the prisoner said. "And the only person I blame is myself."

"Good. Perhaps it'll make you feel better to know that I blame you as well, Hiroshi."

The formal mention of his name stung more than he anticipated, and he knew that he deserved every bit of it. He even wanted it so he could share some of the pain that was woefully inflicted, lift some of the burden and heal the damage.

"I've been racking my brain trying to understand, but it's only caused more confusion and I just want to know... why did you do it?" The pain in Asami's green eyes was so obvious and that persuasive, bargaining business look was gone along with both of their resolves, tilting them precariously close to annihilation. "Just, tell me–why?" _...did you leave me?_

_Why did I disown you? Why did I try to kill you?_ "I don't know." And Hiroshi winced outwardly for the first time in their conversation and instinct screamed for him to reach out to her, but he stopped himself short of making such a foolish maneuver. In his forehead creased deepened lines that seemed to compete over each other for whom could fold across the nether first. Like they were consuming, dominating each other, that was how he felt. It didn't get better when his abandoned daughter stared at him like the deplorable man he was.

Mr. Sato's façade melted as he collapsed onto the unfinished game of Pai Sho, his and her tears staining the metal of Republic City Jail. A moment of shared grief lost without contact. And she left to move on, leaving him like a broken piece of machinery, a single component halting the engine's advance.

Little Asami looked skywards to the birds. They were shining almost, her small verdants, exactly the same as the pastures around them.

"How are you, Asami?" he inquired.

"I'm alright..." the girl answered.

"What is it? Care to tell your old man? Is it boy trouble?" he said and laughed heartily.

Together they chuckled and giggled, reveling in the warm spray of midsummer sun.

"No... today is your anniversary, right daddy?"

Daddy looked down on the small bundle of love sitting on his lap, enveloped in his embrace. How long ago was she a baby? "Yes, that's right honey," he said, and smiled.

Putting tiny hands on her father's chest, Asami dragged herself out of his arms and off his sizable paunch. "The kids at school asked me if I had two dads," she admitted with a low frown.

Calm, blazing maroons surveyed the girl. "I'm so sorry, Asami," he hugged her, and made a silent promise to take her out of public education for homeschooling.

"_I don't know." _That was the best he could do? Was that all he had to say?

The chief of police walked over to two men that had been knocked over by the heiress' violent exit. Lin didn't have enough time to stop her before Asami had left in her aqua-colored Satomobile.

Oh how she missed her mother that could just tell her straight what was going on, and she could do the same. Ever since she died, so did that part of their family. The honest glue keeping them together. Asami could never know why he insisted on keeping things from her.

If cars had emotions, the one she drove embodied full-on unadulterated rage. Angry turns and twists around the soft corners of roads she'd helped create. A furious press on the pedal forced brakes to bring the Satomobile to a complete and sudden stop, an unwelcome exertion on the iron discs. There, across well-known Yue Bay, was the even more famous Air Temple Island. A place that always seemed to be calm and ordinary–and that wasn't at all wrong; it was, after the Avatar left.

Just a few weeks ago was she standing on that dock, peering up at the imposing Water Tribe ship, comparing it to the tiny temples (and then she remembered her own monolithic airships). She wouldn't admit it to herself, but she was cowering behind the gathered welcome committee. Among the disappointed faces were Tenzin, Tonraq, and everyone else, except Asami. If someone did look anywhere but at the exit ramp of that ship, at her, they didn't say anything. Not that there was anything to tell, because Asami Sato was good at hiding emotion, thank the Spirits. If she wasn't her father's daughter she would've cried right then and there.

Owner of Future Industries was a prestigious title, one people would not hesitate to associate themselves with. That meant that Asami would always be privileged. She'd always get what she wanted, if she wanted it, whenever she wanted it. Her story wasn't like so many others, she wasn't pining for her parents love, they were always there for her and she was the opposite of spoiled. However, being the daughter of these amazing people meant there were expectations to live up to, ones that took 3 years to supercede. Time spent re-building credibility, integrity, reputation–everything needed in order for a company to be successful. She struggled with that for so long, alone, when those amazing people vanished.

Even though Asami was the heir after Wei, there was speculation over whether or not the company should need a new CEO. It hurt her badly to speak well of Hiroshi in order to secure her rightful spot as owner, but she held her mask and made sure not to drop it. If she did she'd just lose everything that she'd worked for, all that she'd prepared for her entire life, the last thing entitled to her. Asami never wanted to usurp her father, but that didn't stop newspapers from printing large sensationalized articles debating this very fact. Of all the ridicule spewed, the argument that spoke to her the most–and the only one that was true–was claiming her annexing of the throne as caused by an unhappy childhood.

Some dock workers looked over at the blue-colored, custom-built Satomobile, and the driver firmly and securely placed on its shearling dressed seats: the fabric gained after removal of fur. Her gloved hands were placed at ten-and-two on the wheel, yet the engine was off. The vehicle faced an island out at sea– neighboring a large statue of the current Avatar's previous lost incarnation.

The woman wondered if its been too long since they saw each other, that it was expected of her to address her friend as "Avatar Korra" now. She would've found out if she actually arrived, and wasn't missing.

Asami had knowledge of what the Avatar had been dealing with. It came in the form of a letter, a single response to the many hundreds she'd sent. They were good at that too, sending messages, the Sato family. It was a regular business practice after all, the sending and receiving between two parts. For she had been recieving dozens from Hiroshi, and was shocked to find one sent by the princess of the Southern Water Tribe. It was a process that ruined her life over and over again.

The mother walked in on something. Her husband was in the center of the room on his chair, resting comfortably at an almost 45 degree angle to seem unfazed, until she had barged in.

"What is going on, Hiroshi?" Wei kept cool under brimming exasperation.

"It's nothing, dear," he answered. "Us gentlemen were just about finishing up. If you don't mind..." The corpulent man steadied himself upright, ushering the Triad members out. "I think we're done here."

A little girl who had been ordered to stay behind was growing impatient, but decided to wait just a bit longer. She knew how important her dad's job was and couldn't think up a better way of ruining everything than to storm inside right in the middle of something.

"I won't let you leave," the woman blocking the doorway sent a vicious glare at the group of thugs.

"Wei, please." His normally, subtly boisterous character, was replaced by a confrontational frown. "Just let them go."

"You can't keep doing this, just re-route or solve the problem some other way, not like this," she plead, only to him, ignoring the bandits in the room.

"You know I can't do that."

"But I won't stand for working with criminals. You're ruining our good name, and our daughter's trust!"

The slim, snide-looking man of the bunch, stepped forward. "If I may, Ms. Sato, add a few words to the discussion. Your husband has been a wonderful host to us humble guests and," he pointed to his goons. "I don't think it'd be wise of you to spoil our wonderful deal, and force us to take drastic action."

"If you keep harassing us and taking our money, I will personally have the entire police force breathing down your sorry scumbag necks," Wei threatened.

The sickly thin man slithered his fingers clasped like a spider weaving its prey. For a second, his gaze let up and he spoke, "I apologize for this unfortunate turn of events and honestly I am truly sorry." He gestured for the men to take the suitcase. "I think we'll be leaving now," he started. "The Agni Kai sends it compliments and we will meet again."

Whilst they were distracted by Hiroshi's strained handshaking and disturbed facial expression, her agile digits slipped inside the glove. "No. I can't let you destroy everything that I love."

For a moment, all of the days events that led up to this point played in front of her mind. How they hollered in glee, surfing upon the water in their boat. Her mother's joyous grin and flowing, silky, jealousy-breeding black hair. And now it was scorched. In the heat of the moment, Little Asami cried out in despair and agony as the charred body collapsed.

Simple human words did not contain enough emotion to express and fully encompass her absolute subjugation. A picture does say more than a thousand words. A thousand burning words she never wanted to hear again, a flaming picture she never wanted to see again. Why did she not just go to the park like her mother asked?

As the tender jade eyes Asami shared with her mother, closed for the very last time, a new pair of cool, royal navy eyes, opened her view forever.

Shot back into presence, the woman's beryl-accented ovals bent with purpose and revved the engine she built herself, aggressively, knowing exactly how much it could take.

"You're going to be taking self-defence classes."

"What–why?"

Little Asami and Hiroshi Sato sat under a massive chandelier, next to a sparkling fireplace, a comfy silky rug, on opposite sides of a Pai Sho board, the snow howling against their window.

"I want you to be able to defend yourself. Just a precaution."

The seven year old didn't want to question him when he was like this. He didn't seem like her father, the convivial and caring one she trusted. So she just accepted it and went to practice the next morning.

Years passed and the small girl turned into a lovely woman. She was just on the way to her master's class when a guy ran into the street to topple her self-manifactured bike on its side, and him on the face.

What she didn't know until much later was that that was her only real friend, and through him she met more _true_ friends, ones she'd met by herself. Not through galas where the people she conversed with were only interested in her father. But now, people were interested in her, but she never wanted to speak with anyone who wasn't genuine, who could understand and she could speak to about anything and just be herself.

Through Mako, she met Avatar Korra. A hotheaded rambunctious teenager, the exact opposite of herself, yet she found that she was drawn to her by some inexplicable power. Her new-found legitimate friends who cared about her, was hated by her father because they were benders.

It was lonely in the mansion. So, she thought she'd let someone else make use of all that space, i.e Mako's family. Because all that room was too much for one person to ever justify having, let alone two people. The west wing of the small castle was enough for her, and maybe someone else, someone she cared about, with blue eyes instead of green. That Asami could be herself with and share fears and doubts, just like she wished Korra would one day. Let go and fall apart in her arms, not be strong for everyone and let Asami be strong for her.

Despite her father essentially turning into the man who killed her mother, and almost her, she still loved him as her only family, she still wanted his acceptance–if her crush even felt the same way. The woman who she understood so intimately, yet had as little knowledge of her struggles as everyone else. Asami knew how Korra felt when they spoke to her because she was the Avatar, how she felt when she was alone in the compound, and what to do to deal with these problems. Ms. Sato was in her Water Tribe-blue car, on her way to see her father. For no matter how much time passed, the game would always be there to play. And to win, you have to first know your opponent.

She didn't just want to forgive him to gain approval; then she'd be as bad as him. For he would be in her debt, and as a businesswoman, she knew how dangerous that was.

Asami knows it is easier to ask for permission than forgiveness.


	12. No Going Back

**+==No Going Back==+**

She tries to move her legs. Wills them to budge at least a little bit and stop being so useless lying there in the bed covered in plaster. She has no choice but to stop when the shooting pains begin rocketing up her spine. So she listens. To the beat of her heart. A low, extremely slow drumming, coinciding with the thunder outside. It claps and cracks into the ground creating energy that spreads out into the earth like roots of electricity. She can feel it. Above ground the rain falls and she can feel that too, and the wind which carries the water into a storm. As the Avatar, as a force of nature herself, she can sense everything. Mostly because she has no choice. She can't go out there and start bending, she's stuck in here in her useless body. So she listens.

* * *

It was morning when they got back. They were riding on Oogi the whole night even though everyone was about to pass out from exhaustion. It seemed that the only one being able to get any sleep, a frightfully still one, was Korra. She lied cradled in her father's arms. Tenzin wondered if he'd be able to let go of her once they reached Air Temple Island but quickly disregarded the thought in favor of his own wounds, concentrating on keeping still.

There was a lot they didn't see, although they didn't have to (neither did anyone want to). It all spoke for itself. The shackles around her wrists and ankles which she had somehow managed to break free from. The terrifyingly large pool of poison leaving her body. They saw enough. Her eyes that glowed with the power of two unified spirits, one clinging hopelessly to the other, the other begging it to let go or they'd both die. For some reason, Raava was willing to follow Korra into darkness and take the Avatar cycle with her.

* * *

When Katara first saw Korra, her first reaction was sadness, and she felt a bit selfish. Because it was sadness for herself and guilt. Aang made her promise to protect the next Avatar, like she had protected him. This reminded her of the time she saved his life, when he was struck out of the sky like an angel with it's wings being burned by lightning. There was no healing water that could undo what had happened this time. And she felt remorse because it was Korra who had to feel broken, not her. Although she has to experience saving the Avatar from the brink of death twice in a lifetime, it must be worse to relive it. However, Aang's spirit was no longer with Korra. Korra was living her own world of pain plus the grief of the thousands before her.

Judging by what has happened to the girl in the year she was seventeen, you'd be surprised to learn that the average lifetime for the Avatar is a century. And what would surprise you even more would be what was going on in Korra's head during this time of great depress. She thought it wasn't worth it to cry for what was lost. It would take years to mourn every single one of them, all worthy of a personal moment. Instead, she let others cry for her. They don't think she knows, but she can't sleep. She has no choice but to listen.

* * *

When the rest of them see her coming out of the infirmary, it was not on purpose. No one was supposed to be around when she left her bed in the wheelchair. But they were all there. Her two favourite brothers and friends were there which was unforgivable. Preferably no one was allowed to see her like this and she avoided people as much as she could now that she was conscious. Although they were a few feet away and her right eye was bandaged (along with her legs, torso, the most of her body), she could hear shameless gasps silently echo from mouths covered by hands shot up to cover their surprise. This was what she hated, the pitifulness of her condition. But she had no choice but to listen.

The only one who didn't look at Korra in this moment with pity was Tenzin. He looked to her as the admirable person she was. With reverence in his eyes he watched her bruised and battered self struggle to wheel itself away. Even now she didn't give up. It gave him hope. Because after all this, Korra would become wiser. He knew that wisdom had nothing to with age but everything to do with experience and acceptance. She just had to listen.


	13. A New Beginning

_**A New Beginning**_

One step, two steps, up the steps. His robes flap in the wind. There's a lightness to his steps only found in airbenders. He moves soundlessly up the staircase and to the top of the tower to find... nothing. There's no one here. Tenzin became perplexed. Bowing over the edge he saw the party still in full swing, all their friends and family dancing along to the tunes of wind instruments. He backs away stroking his beard, wondering why Asami had lied to him.

Stepping out of the building, down at ground level, he makes his way back to the shore. Tenzin's steps barely make contact with the ground anymore it seems. The last few days, even with all it's destruction of Republic City, had made him feel lighter than ever before. It was like there was nothing stopping him from moving freely... except for the sight of Korra and Asami embracing at the steps to the island. He stops instantly. He watches them, they let go of each other, they say some things to each other, then they stand, and leave.

Quickly, Tenzin moves out of the way before anyone can see him. The pair who he had watched pass the bush he dived into, his grey eyes follow them, their dresses flowing in the air, Korra's steps bouncing so lightly you'd have thought she wasn't an earthbender too. Asami's shoulder bumps with the Avatar's. Their figures vanish after walking around a corner.

Gracious as she was, the Avatar holds the door open for the heiress as she enters to the living quarters. Korra follows Asami to her room. There they stop and face each other. Asami's eyes are trained on Korra's, they don't break eye contact, but slowly move into their own rooms. She starts packing, beginning with an extra set of clothes. Her backpack is borrowed from Pema. It's green, reminding her of her time in the Earth Kingdom. The backpack is also small and perfect. It fits all of her clothes. Meanwhile, the heiress was having a harder time packing. The Avatar enters the room and sees the dilemma.

"You don't need many clothes. You won't get dirty, cold, or wet in the Spirit World, unless we decide to go swimming, but then I can just waterbend us dry."

"Okay. I'll just bring this jacket, and some shoes. Oh, and these pants will be good I think."

"Asami," Korra says.

The woman in question looks over at the slightly shorter woman who is smiling gently. "Alright. You don't have to watch me. I can do this perfectly fine by myself."

Still smiling, Korra nods and heads outside.

The night sky is amazing. Absolutely gorgeous. Red, pink, purple... blue. A lovely gradient. Her aqua eyes follow a spirit flying in the sky. It's long and bold like a snake. All black and fierce, its head looking like a bird. It's these combinations of animals in spirits that make it so easy to spot them from a mile away. Some have large horns, and you know they could transform into a bull. Others though have no correlation to animals; standing on their hind legs with four arms and being so so tiny.

"Hello Korra."

She swirls around to find Bolin and Opal with their arms around each other. "Hey guys," she greets.

"What are you doing by yourself out here?" Bolin innocently asks. "Without your dress... and a backpack on your shoulders–are you leaving?"

"I'm just waiting for someone."

"Oh," he says, happily. "Okay, well, take care of yourself. We'll see you later."

"Yeah, I'll see you guys later," Korra answers.

The pair take off back into the celebrating mess of people of Zhu Li's and Varrick's wedding party. Bolin's thoughts wander though, until he gets a slight headache. Korra barely has time to turn her head before someone else interrupts her.

"Ready to leave?" asks Asami.

"Yeah," Korra rose to her feet quickly. "Let's go."

The ride to the main islands of the city was short. That was the first time Asami had ever rode on an ice block. She'd do it again if she could hold Korra.

They approach the huge crater left open by the first spirit portal to ever be created by an Avatar. Even more spirits litter the surroundings here. The place is a spiritual hotspot–Asami notices by the way her friend's face lights up and how she takes a deep invigorating breath. They walk towards the portal, its stunning light shining over their features. To Korra, it looks like Asami is in the Avatar State, silly as that is. Those green glowing eyes capture hers and hold them unwavering. Both start to walk into the light. Hands reach out and grasp the other gingerly. They take these first steps into a new world together. They will face their future at each other's side, this was the unspoken promise made as Miss Sato and the Avatar gaze into each others spirits through their burning eyes.

Soon it is too much to handle and both close their eyes, still holding each other's hands, never letting go.

**To be continued... and to never end.**


	14. Walk The Way

_**Walk The Way**_

There was silence to begin with. The quiet before the storm, except there was no storm to prepare for. Only the calm here and now. Korra opens her eyes as she feels the intense light fade and looks over at Asami with lidded eyes only to witness that same quiet conviction mirrored in her expression. They are in this together.

Considerate of the flowery field expanding ahead, Asami takes the first few steps into the Spirit World. There's a childlike wonder on her face as she pulls on Korra's hand with her own glove-free hand, which Korra can feel every crevice of, and they walk together through the meadow, with its surrounding icy, jagged mountaintops and eerie-looking treetrunks. Overhead, spirits are already taking notice of the Avatar and the other woman, and follow them. The engineer is out of her element, but she isn't scared for as long as she holds the hand of spiritual enlightenment itself.

The two stop in the middle of the grasslands. Asami is watching everything with curious attention, including how Korra is now holding her arm out in display of the vastness of this magnificent place, as if it was created just for her.

"Here we are. Welcome to the Spirit world."

Asami only smiles and continues looking around. "It's... amazing," she utters, breathless and gasping unashamed. Her crimson lips in a sign of awe. "I can't believe you did this."

Korra is still smiling like she had never adored anyone more in her life, and she's beginning to think that's true. "Did what?"

"Created a new spirit portal," Asami explains. "Created peace and balance when no one else could. Not even the new Air Nation which you also created." Asami briefly stopped admiring their environment to gaze at Korra. "What will you do next?"

The waterbender steps forward and grasps Asami's other hand again. "I don't know. All I do know is that I won't be alone."

There is nothing to indicate the passage of time in this strange and wonderful place, but it doesn't matter. It didn't matter how long the two stood and stared at each other. They had all the time in the world to explore.

Asami suddenly jumps and shrieks because something just landed on her shoulder. "AH!" she squeals and jumps towards Korra for safety.

Korra though only laughs. "Calm down, Sami. It's only a dragonfly bunny spirit!" The spirit lands on Korra's shoulder instead.

At the sight, Asami smiles softly at her friend as more spirits collect amongst them. All have different colors but look very much the same. The inventor can begin to sense their pure energy enveloping them.

It is so casual being with and around Korra (though Asami never thinks of it like being with another girl, or the Avatar... but just Korra). It seems here in the Spirit World, something timeless and old is awakened in the short-haired woman. She plays with the flying bunnies, an effortless smile on her face as she glances over at Asami and again laughs seeing how rough they are instead being with her friend. The heiress decides she doesn't mind being greeted and disheveled by rough handling spirits and feeling slightly jumpy in this environment, which seems to be the younger woman's natural habitat, as long as Korra is happy.

Broken out of a trance she had no idea she was in, Asami's vision refocuses to find the waterbender, circled by floating bunny spirits, staring back at her with an ever so slight tint of warm red coloring her cheeks, showing through that darker complexion.

"Asami, you okay?"

In response to being caught, Asami forces down an awkward cough and attempts fighting her own little blush. It is in vain she realizes and just smiles gently to her endearing friend. "Just fine," she replies, pulse speeding up. "So this is where you ended up when saving Kuvira's life? Where are we?"

Asami's question brings Korra back to last week, thinking about what she said to the metalbender. Despite not knowing what being an orphan was like, she tried to relate to Kuvira. Korra did know enough about children who are orphans–her three best friends are orphans, especially Asami, and their pain and stories became part of Korra's life as well. It made her all the more appreciative of her own parents.

"I don't know," ends up being her response. "But, I do know some other places I want to show you."

"If they're all going to be as beautiful as this place then this will be the best vacation I've ever been on."

Korra blushes again, thinking about how human's emotions have great impact on the Spirit World, especially the Avatar's. Did their current surroundings near this portal have anything to do with Korra's feelings at the initial moment of its creation? The icy peaks and flowery garden–what did they mean? She'd have to meditate on it later. Asami's enjoying it though; she realizes Korra is in control here.

"I know where we can start, at an old friend of mine!" Korra proclaims cheerily. "A very, very old friend of mine."

The slender fingers of Asami Sato are tugged along around to the other side of the portal, and it's like nothing she's ever seen (everything here she has never seen of course, but so far this is the biggest thing). If this is how often she's going to be experiencing new things, then she doesn't quite know how her mind, as genius as it is, will cope with the constant novelty. It is like a completely new world, and that's obviously saying something when you're already in an absolutely new world. Literally, they are stepping into a new dimension; a clear border is marked on the ground, with the contrasting purple tulipan-looking flowers on their side, and a yellow dirt road to take them towards the horn of an imposing mountain, its far distance away doing nothing to shrink its size.

As they walk the tremendous distance, still hand in hand (Korra's is exceptionally warm for a Water Tribe native), they find almost no time for silence, constantly asking each other questions. First, Korra apologizes. "I'm sorry for destroying the city, and everything you ever did for the past three years."

"I'm not too worried," Asami says assuringly. "You may not have saved Republic City in the sense that it is still standing, but it's not lost to Kuvira. Things really were not the same without you, and I doubt anything is going to stay unchanged now that you're back."

…

"Did Bolin send you the most letters?"

"Of course," Korra says, making both laugh.

"I still kept yours."

"After all this time? What for?"

"So I would remember to wait for you, and also to ask, what happened during those six months?"

"...I was alone..."

...

"Those bunnies like the one on your shoulder actually inspired my hummingbird robot."

"Varrick had nothing to do with that?"

"Of course not, and then he steals all the credit."

"I never knew you were such a great dancer by the way."

...

"Is there anything I should know that you maybe should've told me before we entered the Spirit World, oh great bridge between worlds?"

Korra playfully elbows Asami, "Keep your emotions in check."

"Got that already," Asami winks.

…

"Would you ever lie to me?" Asami asks once.

"Never again."

…

"I'm not going to ask why you didn't bring anyone else, but this means a lot to me."

"Me too," Korra admits.

…

As they get closer and closer to the mountain, it neither shrinking nor growing, a small cottage appears over the hill.

"I forgot to mention that you can't get hungry here and you can't gain or lose weight."

"Perfect," Asami responds, already thinking of the advantages to this. Perhaps planning future trips so she and Korra can enjoy fine dining unashamedly.

**More to come...**


	15. Dragon Of The West

_**The Dragon Of The West**_

As he pours his favorite Jasmine tea in the cups of his visitors, Iroh wears an unfaltering smile holding that precious teapot–it once carried Raava, the Spirit of Light, ten thousand years ago. The guest on his right, sitting in the middle between him and his opponent, is Avatar Korra. Exactly the 300th demigod of the never-ending cycle. Contrary to popular belief, the number of Avatars have never reached the thousands, far from it evidently. All of the statues in the sacred tombs of all four Air Temples around the world, are duplicates or just the same Avatar in different stages of life, thus why they seem to stretch on upwards forever. As freespirited as Air Nomads seem, even they can't escape the very human inclination for "bigger means better".

When Iroh's opponent outsmarts him, he still keeps on that good-natured expression. Asami Sato doesn't look smug. Not like all those other people he has played against in his lifetime. Then again, not many have ever come out on top of the firebreathing tea-maker, and so when he slides a tile expertly between three of her pieces, his grin does not increase. Much like the red-clad woman in front of him doesn't trouble her smooth forehead by wrinkling it in frustration. Instead, she maneuvers around the board with expert precision, almost wiping out the general's lotus tile. The elderly man has never enjoyed himself so much.

"It's been a while since I enjoyed such wonderful company and excellent competition."

"Thank you, I agree," Asami says.

Korra is still intruiged with their little game of acquaintance-making. Apparently, Pai Sho is a great way to make friends while learning about the other person. Through some secret board game language, Iroh and Asami communicate their intentions and motivations in life. Well, for Iroh, what used to be his ideals.

"How is my nephew?" he asks in his gravelly and wise voice.

"Great," Korra answers. "Last time I saw Zuko was when he left to protect Fire Lord Izumi, and General Iroh helped us against Kuvira along with the United Forces."

"Is Izumi okay?"

"Yeah, she's good too. She promised to help rebuild Republic City and aid the New Earth Democracy before we left."

"Oh that's what they're calling it now?" he chuckles.

"Prince Wu's Idea."

"You mean King Wu?"

"No," Korra blinks. "Suprisingly, he decided to remove the monarchy and allow the people to have more power." Korra leans back in her lotus position, palms digging into the grass. "I guess Zaheer finally got what he wanted," she says, completely neutral.

"Not quite, but it's acceptable."

The spirits surrounding the tea table flee the scene as Korra and Asami jolt in their seats. The old fire native remains still, sipping his tea and not bothering to turn around.

"I was wondering when you would show up."

"It takes time and a lot of effort to meditate into the Spirit World from miles underground in a prison," Zaheer spoke.

"What are you doing here?" Korra mutters, disturbed.

"Thought I'd enquire about that new Spirit Portal you decided to spontaneously spawn." Zaheer stands a few feet away (or whatever unit of measure is used in the Spirit World). His gray beard and hair flow eerily in the non-existent breeze.

"I didn't do it on purpose."

"Of course not. But it may cause some complications for the world."

"I realize that. But me and a lot of other people can help fix those problems, and since when did you care about the world anyways?"

"Did you already forget that I fought for freedom of the people?"

"And that involved killing me?"

"Not you. You were just in they way of us ending the Avatar cycle. Sacrifices have to be made. Things would have been much easier and better if we had succeeded in capturing you the first time," he says evenly.

"I may have forgiven you for attempting to murder me, but I won't ever forget that you were the reason I was locked up in that compound," Korra snarls.

Asami looks on as their once quiet, peaceful setting goes dark and awry. Iroh sits in his space, neither Avatar nor revolutionary paying attention to his unnaturally calm demeanor. None of them noticing her perturbed expression behind Korra's back. They were completely and mysteriously lost in their conflict. Skies once cloudless above turn exactly not that, instead filling to the brim with grayness. Grass and spirits in the vicinity start rapidly decaying.

"They used me so I could one day fix all their problems," Korra continues, "and I wanted it too. I wanted to be the best Avatar ever... How could things be have been better if the Red Lotus took me away instead of the White Lotus? You would've both used me! What kind of freedom is that!"

The ground cracks around Korra as she thrusts her arms about, but she pays no attention to that. Zaheer in contrast looks thoughtful, as if something just hit him. Asami knows as an inventor that the look the airbender was giving was one of sudden realization. He found a solution.

"You're right Korra," he says. "I'm disbanding the Red Lotus."

The sudden decision causes the Avatar's eyebrows to rise. "Wait, wh-"

"And I want you to remove the White Lotus as servants to the Avatar."

For the first time since the fight broke out, Korra turns to look at Asami, silently questioning this unexpected turn; asking what she thinks. Asami just returns a shy, anxious glance, signaling that this was not her place. She didn't know, or at least not enough. The master of all elements returns her gaze to confront the man who once poisoned her and hurt her and traumatized her for years after that near-death experience.

"Alright I will," she says. "Tell your people to stop harassing the Fire Lord."

"You have my word, Avatar Korra."

And just as suddenly as he had appeared, the ragged and goal-driven man disappears. Korra sighs. "I thought I had seen him for the last time. Iroh, you said–did you know Zaheer was coming?"

"Yes, but it was only because I could sense him. I haven't spoken to him too many times, but now I know more than enough," he explains.

Korra collapses on the grass which is slowly returning to its normal verdant green. "I wonder what Aang would've done."

"I don't know," Iroh says, "but you have changed the world so much, Korra. There is no point in looking back. What happened before cannot help you now, and as bad as that sounds, it's not. Be grateful for what led you to the place you are in now, and also where it can take you. Do not be afraid to follow wherever life leads you."

"Thank you Iroh," she says, sitting up again. The sky has retaken its vibrant blue.

The engineer has not moved from her position that she claimed when jumping away from the table in shock. That voice, how much more scarier it must be (or should be) to Korra, still frightened her even though it was not her that was injured all those years ago. The image of Korra in her father's arms will never leave her. So she tries to fill it with new, better images of Korra. Like the one now. She looks peaceful. Unlike Korra, Asami enjoys the feeling of not having any control. Here in the Spirit World, she doesn't have a plan, nothing is familiar. It would've been terrifying, but she was with Korra. So the heiress can let her mind be free, and what it instantly does is think up new inventions while watching spirits frolic. Her genius constanly conceiving new inventions, specifically new ways to use spirit energy in a better, non-destructive, not harmful to spirits, way. Clean energy. There was no limit to the amount of good finding a renewable energy source could do. That's when it occurs to Asami, while thinking of goodness, that Korra can't turn off like Asami can. Where the CEO finally stops worrying about her company, Korra's duties still follow her into this world. Because Korra is not only the Avatar of the material world, but also the Spirit World, maybe even more so. There is literally no place in the universe where Korra can escape, and with that depressing revelation comes another less heartbreaking one. This vacation is for Asami.

"I'm tired. How do you feel Sami?"

She flashes her best smile. "We did leave the wedding in the middle of the night. I think it's about time we got some rest." Asami surveys the area and realizes someone's missing. "Where's Iroh?"

"He went into his cabin again, did you not notice?"

"No, I guess not," Asami says thoughtfully. "Well, where do you wanna sleep?"

"I think here is just fine honestly. I'm too spent to move."

Asami giggles. "Alright, you're not gonna take out your bedroll?"

"I didn't bring one, mainly because I don't have one."

Asami thinks for a while. "You want to share?"

Korra looks up at the heiress's slightly bashful face. "Sure."

The two snuggle up on the way too thin bedroll, it was obviously not made for two people. Maybe just one very muscular person or one very tall person. Korra realizes about the same time as Asami that this is the first time they've shared a bed ever since Korra was poisoned.

They had left Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding so fast simply because they knew there was probably no other way they'd be allowed a vacation. No rest when you hold such important positions as they do. Asami would be thrown into rebuilding the city and Korra would perhaps be sent to help Wu in the New Earth Democracy, and once again they would not have had time to explore their long overdue feelings for each other. But here they were.

"You know, I ran away. Again," Korra says. "I'm glad I'm not alone this time to face the scoldings we'll get when we go back. It was bad enough seeing my parents after lying to them for six months. It seems I'm great at escaping my responsibilities." The last sentence was said with a disappointed pout.

"No, you deserve this break, we both do, Korra." Asami bites her lip which does not go unnoticed by the Avatar, even under the light which was now inexplicably fading as if sensing the pair's need for tranquility. "I was reminded of you after your fight with Zaheer."

"Oh," Korra says.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to bring up bad memories, but I just-"

"It's okay, say what you have to."

Asami, thankful that Korra understood, began to retell the events. "A-After the poison was removed... I don't know if you remember but, there was a lot of blood."

Korra just looks on with concern as Asami can feel tears at the corners of her eyes. Suddenly Korra begins to remove her boots and roll up her pants leg while Asami stares fixedly at the emerging calves.

"This is the only place I have any scars. Was it from here?"

"Y-yes. You broke a lot of bones." Asami realizes just how much pain Korra must have endured on that day.

"I can't feel much anymore from there. Katara says the poison destroyed most of the nerve endings there. I can't feel as much pain anymore in general."

Asami can't help but cover her mouth at this point. She cowers in Korra's chest and asks: "Do you remember when you first began to like me, as in more than a friend?"

There it was. The unspoken question was out in the open now. "Yes."

"When you laid dying in Tonraq's arms, that's when I knew the pain was more than just feeling worried for my friend's life. I knew that if I lost you then, I would not have cared whatever happened afterwards..." Asami confesses. "I love you Korra."

Finally the repressed tears fall unhindered, but Korra lifts Asami's chin gently and kisses her.

**Author's Note:**

**Don't worry, this story isn't over yet. Key word: yet. I don't see it ever ending in fact. And I know that's one hell of a promise to make, but I intend to keep it. I've been thinking about it a lot. I once read someone say that once you've joined the fandom there's no way out; you've earned yourself a lifetime membership to the Avatar-verse, it's a one way trip. I believe that to be true. As a kid, I watched this show rerun on TV in Sweden (dubbed in Swedish too, but I later watched it in English). I loved it. Years later, I find out about The Legend of Korra through a commercial on Nick in 2012. I forget about it. Fast forward to June/July 2014, I find Korra again and am elated, then realize it's been going on for like two years and binge the first two seasons plus the first five episodes of Book 3. I was hooked. I cried like I hadn't done since the end of ATLA all those years ago, especially during the finale. I jumped in glee when Book 4 was announced a month later, then I cried when our two favorite ladies cemented the sequel of "Avatar" as a show that was "as good" or "better" (I'm leaning more towards the latter). We finally got our representation, and that image along with Zuckerman's score will never fail to bring a tear to my eyes.**

**Sorry, anyway, back to my original point: This fic isn't going to end anytime soon. Not in like a year, or more. I plan on always coming back to our wonderful community. I won't leave and I hope you don't either, I'm hoping for comics in the future so that's another thing keeping me here. Nevertheless I have so much planned for this story, even after Korra and Asami leave the Spirit World. Unlike the hundred new fics that have popped up, each one telling of what happens after the ending in their own ways and where very many are very fluffy (mine will be too), this fic will have more substance and story and eventually plot. Much like Avatar keeps coming back and never really ends, this story won't/will(?) If you know there's something you want to see happen, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM.**

**TL;DR:**

**I'm not going to stop writing for this story anytime soon, even though updates can come few and far between, but they will come, I assure you (I'm basically a perpetual rule breaker of the "don't just write when you are inspired"). We all own a lifetime pass to this franchise and it will never leave our hearts.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	16. A Spark

**A/N: We have officially moved into M-rated territory.**

_**A Spark**_

Korra is the first to wake. She doesn't try to rouse the girl beside her, instead she lies and feels the contact all over of their bodies. There is essentially no space between them, and they fit like an intricate puzzle of a thousand pieces. Their legs are tangled together, arms reaching around backs, breaths mingling. Asami's is hot and comforting on Korra's cheek. She looks so serene, all the muscles in her face relaxed and untroubled. The woman is gorgeous, absolutely flawless even in sleep, Korra thinks. She admires the way their skin colors contrast. She's only ever been able to do that a few times, a long three years ago, when she was broken apart. She's infinitely happy that she has the chance again. The two shared nothing but good dreams this night. Well, whatever night is in the Spirit World. It is still dark as they lay on Asami's bedroll. The thought struck Korra: they have no way of telling how long they've been gone, and last "night" they just passed out for an indefinite amount of "time". And without the basic bodily functions such as the need for nutrition; not being able to feel hunger, for all they know they could already have been gone a week.

Without alerting Korra, Asami grows conscious again. She presses a soft kiss on the very warm cheek of the Avatar. It instantly turns red.

"Hey you," Asami says, slightly dazed, still.

"Hi."

"Are you okay with everything that happened?" Asami asks, apprehensively.

"Yeah, more than happy," Korra replies, breathless. "If you're afraid that you were too forward, well... can I be forward for a second too?" She gazes into Asami's eyes with determination. "I want this, us, to last, and– I'm so glad I found my soul mate on my second try."

Asami bites her lower lip, softly smiling. "Your second try?"

"Yeah, you know, after Mako," Korra scratches her neck. "B-but only my first relationship! We, I.. I mean we didn't d-do anything else... Did you and Mako?"

"No," Asami says, curling further into Korra, if that was somehow possible. "You are my first and only. I'm happy too that I found my better half at only twenty-two."

"I think I'm luckier at twenty-one."

They both laugh. However, there's no escaping the thought of no matter how young they are, they have both experienced too much. There's also no escaping the more comforting thought that they are no longer alone. They have each other, and as if sensing the other's mutual distress, Korra and Asami clutch each other tighter, both instantly breathing more evenly. Korra's salty ocean scent, Asami's rose perfume. They fill the mind of the other and can do nothing but chant the other's name in their head. If one could hear thoughts, they would listen in to these two women singing a chorus of _"Korrasami. Korrasami. Korrasami."_

Like most things Korra does, she can't help but compare bending to lovemaking. She's been bending her whole life, but it was the first time she's done anything like this. It's like firebending, raw and passionate and powerful. She's never felt anything like it before. Where firebending requires controlling your emotions, otherwise you can burn yourself, she let's this fierce passion engulf her, and she is rewarded.

They look at each other again and see nothing but love and admiration in green and blue, proving that there is nothing to sacrifice in this relationship, there are only things to gain. So Korra and Asami lie partially in the grass covered by a blanket, exchanging small gifts of affection. A touch there, a tender stroke here, the lightest of kisses everywhere.

Asami gets stuck in Korra's intoxicating beautiful ocean hues. They drowned her last night from both above and below and they've made her feel more loved than ever before. Likewise, Korra feels she can almost see a perfect shining emerald in those eyes, one that she wants to keep sacred. Their previous late night conversation enters Asami's slowly waking mind. To keep it brief: of all the Avatar's that have ever lived, most of them died young, and she begged this would not be the case with her lover. They had survived so much, did they not deserve to be together forever?

"You know what sucks?" Korra says.

"What?"

"That when we have to go back and I won't be able to have you to myself all the time."

"It's only been a day."

"You don't know that. Actually we can't know."

"What do we do about that?"

Korra pauses. She remembers how sad she once was that the world didn't need her. Now of course she knows differently. Korra knows that everything is all about perspective. When she wants it, there won't be any action, and when she wants some time off, a new threat will arise. So, she compromises and settles with being happy that people do need her, even though it is at the most inconvenient of times. "I don't care. This is our vacation and we're gonna make the most of it."

...

"Is everything you have red?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Is everything you own blue?"

"Pretty much, and you?"

"Not this."

Korra turns around, facing the pond and waterfall which are a wonderful backdrop to this stunning sight. Asami wears a swimsuit, it's bluish and purple. Korra's vocabulary for colors is not the most extensive. No matter, it's not what catches her eye anyway. It's how the fabric clings to the womanly shape and beckons anyone watching to admire the heiress in all her half-naked glory. Blue eyes travel upwards and meet green ones who catch her gawking. Blood is having no trouble spreading color across their faces.

"Sorry! I'll just turn around. I'll be there in a minute!" Korra quickly shouts and throws off her tank top as fast as possible.

It's Asami's turn to gawk but Korra's too busy chastising herself while changing that she can't catch the heiress staring. Asami stands frozen in place, her eyes follow the vigorous muscles of Korra's athletic back as they stretch and pull while the Avatar rips off her boots and pants in one fell swoop. She turns around, but Asami's not fast enough in turning away before Korra can catch where her gaze has been locked for the past minute. The white bindings contrasting against Korra's muscular frame is enough to distract Asami's thoughts from anything work-related for days, as if their night together wasn't enough. _How will I survive the rest of this vacation?_

"Okay!" Korra clears her throat awkwardly, changing the subject. "I'm ready! Hey, isn't that the same swimsuit you wore when I first came to your mansion?"

"Yeah," Asami looks over her shoulder, thankful for the switch in topic.

"Why'd you keep it? I always thought you'd have a dozen different swimwears," Korra's abs stiffen as she laughs.

"It holds... sentimental value," Asami looks away.

_Oh._ "Well... what else do you have that is blue?" Korra says, catching on.

"Uh... my car."

Suddenly confident, Korra strides towards the uncharacteristically shy woman. "Hey, I know! Will you teach me to drive it when we go back to Republic City?"

Now Asami smiles as Korra wraps her arm around her waist. "I did build it for you."

Korra smiles in turn, touched by that confession. They hug. It is intimate and caring and loving, making the foliage around them turn colorful, like autumn leaves. It's so new, both of them don't know if they'll ever get tired of the feeling of holding and being held by each other. Spirits begin to assemble around the pair. They give off light, like fireflies. Spots of brightness in the dimness around this shaded pool, of which they have yet to dip in. The place has turned magical in the wake of the Avatar and the heiress's connection. Peaceful.

"Hey," Korra says again, quietly. "I have another idea," she speaks into Asami's shoulder. The smell of her filling Korra's being with happiness at their intimacy.

"What is it?" Asami asks gently.

"Did you bring you electro-glove thing?"

"...Yes? Why?"

"I want to try something."

The women break apart and walk hand in hand over to their backpacks. Asami looks for her glove in the packaging. She pulls it out but doesn't turn it on. "Now what?" she asks.

"Hold my hand."

"What?" she almost yells, but doesn't look angry. Concern is what crosses her features.

"Trust me."

Asami does so, with no hesitation, but she does so slowly. Her glove-free hand leaves Korra's slowly so she can move to turn the knob. As she gingerly shifts closer and closer, the Avatar takes a stance. "Don't let go. Whatever you do, don't let go of my hand, and don't touch me with your other hand."

Asami nods. She turns the knob. Sparks fly just as expected. They flow into Korra's hand. Electricity shoots into Korra's arm. Her stance begins to flow, directing the current through herself. The sight is terrifying, seeing electricity surrounding Korra, yet it is magnificent at the same time, watching the Avatar use her two fingers as conductors. Suddenly, they thrust out into the sky and let loose a powerful lightning bolt flaring up the heavens. She collapses into Asami's arms shortly after.

"Korra are you okay?" comes the frantic question.

"Never better."

"You scared me."

Korra's smoking fingertips reach to brush a stray hair from Asami's face. "Sorry. And I'm also sorry about the glove." She looks down at the cracked, scorched surfaces of the weapon. "I don't think you'll be using that anytime soon."

"Don't worry, I can make a new one."

"Of course you can." They smile at each other.

"That was unexpected. I had no idea you planned on lightning bending."

"Well, what can I say. You can't be afraid to mix it up sometimes," she grins.

Asami giggles. "You looked very snazzy while doing it."

They laugh together for a while. "Come on," Korra says. "Are we going swimming or not?"

"Let's do it."


	17. Kindred Spirits

_**Kindred Spirits**_

The Spirit World is older than time. All human struggles seem so insignificant in this place. Korra feels for a moment undignified to share her soul with one of the timeless spirits of the worlds. Asami doesn't let that thought stay and reminds the Avatar exactly how dignified she is. It's ironic how worried Korra was that the world had moved on without her, then she returns and leaves the worlds in the dust with the changes that she created. "A new portal between worlds?" Asami exclaims. "Unheard of. You are a timeless legend yourself, Korra."

Asami's grateful that she gets to be with Korra like nobody else and have the woman all to herself. It just recently occurred to her that everyone in Team Avatar have been in love with the Avatar. Korra admires Asami and doesn't understand how she can be so lucky to have the brilliant CEO as her girlfriend. Asami is the same. She asks, "How come you haven't fallen in love with yourself?" while trailing slender fingers along those powerful arms, now uncovered while they were in the water.

"I hated myself."

"What? How can you say that?"

"When I was gone, I was so disappointed with who I'd become. Who I couldn't be anymore... what I'd lost."

"Korra..."

"I'm just glad someone loves me."

"Well, do you love yourself?" _Please say yes. That's all that matters. I love you, you are important._

"I do now," Korra says and wraps her arms around Asami's back while Asami cradles Korra's head. Her face is buried just above Asami's breasts. "Thank you for waiting, you make me feel whole."

"So do you."

"Sorry to be such a downer," Korra says, spreading warmth through Asami's chest with her hot breath. Asami doesn't think that at all and she's about to say otherwise before the Avatar can cut her off. "Let's change the subject."

"Okay."

"Hmm. When did you know you liked girls?"

"I didn't. You?"

"Hold on. What do you mean you don't know? Something must've triggered it? I mean–okay... I'll tell you how it was for me. It was never a moment of realization, you know? It was just something I knew, that I liked both girls and guys. But I never thought of it in those terms. It didn't matter what they were, more who they were. Does that make sense?"

_Of course it does. Korra always thinks about other people first, of course it wouldn't matter what gender they were_, Asami muses. "Yeah. Okay, well for me it was actually when I saw a certain Avatar walk up with a pout while meeting the daughter of the man behind Future Industries. You were refreshing and eye-opening, in more ways than one. Inspiring."

"Oh stop it now."

"Well look who's become humble. I thought you loved compliments? Besides, I wouldn't say it if the person didn't deserve it."

"In that case, let me give credit where credit is due," Korra says, a glint in her eye. "People say I saved the world, but... I didn't do it alone. You saved me Asami Sato. You are my world, my only escape where I can be myself. The one I can be selfish with, but also who I can love."

The two most powerful people on the planet, what better match is there? They can't think of one as they lock lips gently. Their kisses ignite fires in the cores of the two women. It doesn't matter that it's inexperienced. They're doing it together.

A tanned hand reaches up and brushes Asami's cheek, taking their time to form the fingers around the pale ear and neck, feeling silky hairs standing at attention. Korra's other hand goes to cup Asami's other side of the face, anchoring them together while brushing painted lips against bare, slightly chapped. The constant soft kisses that are still so fresh had the both of them trembling. The engineer steadies herself on the Avatar's hips. Her thumb began stroking the bone there while she felt Korra do the same to her face in an adoring sign of affection. They look at each other fondly with wide tearful smiles. Smooth red light hide their mutual blushes. Spirits fly around them in a dancing fashion, feeding off the happiness radiating from the couple below.

"Spirits Asami, I love you so much," Korra lets out a sob and brings their foreheads together.

"I love you too and it hurts how much I do," Asami says abandoning any resolve she may have had and gives up, letting out a shuddering breath. Both women's joyous tears mix and increase tenfold once they kiss again, neither believing what is happening, thinking it's too good to be true. Their eyes pour with emotion like the waterfall behind them, pent up and released in a fury. It never stopped.

Tentatively, Asami slides her hand along the curve of Korra's side. She feels the Avatar crumble under her touch, and that alone makes her want to melt. She steels herself and continues upwards, the beautiful brown skin of her girlfriend gaining goosebumps along her path. The capable hands of the engineer glide past the cottony fabric of the bindings and up towards thick arms. Asami grasps the strap there on the collarbone and tugs on it gingerly, trailing it over broad muscled shoulders to let it fall. She does the same with the other side. The Avatar stands topless in front of her, but Asami doesn't feel powerful. She feels weak. This woman does that to her. Her own hands are shaking slightly. Korra notices. She grabs Asami's hands reassuringly and pecks the woman on the cheek, on the jaw, on the neck. Her girl freezes up, unable to do anything against the ministrations. So, she leads Asami's hands towards her breasts. The taller girl follows instinct and massages Korra's chest. Both moan at each other's handlings, cheeks glowing from arousal.

Their hearts are racing. Asami has never felt this intensity from anything in her life, nothing comes close to what Korra manages to do with her. A Satomobile has nothing on the Avatar. She fears for a second she's going to become addicted to feeling this way, but that quickly subsides because it isn't a bad thing to become addicted to. They have all the time in the worlds and Korra is being so gentle with her.

Korra can't breathe. The feeling of Asami's hands on her breasts is the most intense feeling she has ever experienced. She doesn't ever want to stop feeling this way. Electric. On fire. Raw feeling. Emotions that humans seek for entire lifetimes, and here she is experiencing it with the love of her life. The Avatar moves to disrobe her lover. Asami has moved her hands and begun to tease the nipple on the short-haired girl while kissing her neck and biting the shell of her ear. Korra cannot focus. She tries to advance. Feather-light touches creep up Asami's waist and towards the knots on the back of the swimsuit. She tugs on them and they come loose easily. Asami stops sucking on Korra's neck which has a hickey now, to help herself out of the swimwear. Her long sensual legs slip out of the blue garment, one at a time. Slow, so she doesn't trip because she can't stop shaking. Neither is nervous, but the aches in their bodies for each other have become impossibly powerful.

They don't ravish each other. They revel in each other. Asami is fully naked and Korra doesn't hesitate to take in the gorgeous body of her companion. The supple breasts and lithe form scream elegance and perfection. While Korra is still in her lower bindings, it doesn't stop Asami Sato from appreciating her lovers impressive body which radiates un-matchable power. The tribalwoman is rugged sexy with her short, wet chestnut hair, in contrast to the awe inspiring flow of darkness that is Asami's hair. The lovers lock gazes. Their eyes are blown wide out of lust but mostly because of the incredible love shared between them. Cerulean lagoons and impeccable rich green irises disintegrate the other.

They fall together in the water. It isn't deep, not even knee-high. Korra ends up on the bottom with Asami straddling her. She can't hear anything as the water fills her ears and drowns out most sounds, reducing them to muffled noises. She's not focused on anything but the woman above who comes down to kiss her. Both Asami's hands envelope the girl's beautiful face beneath her and she feels Korra moving her arms to rest at the inventor's back. They break apart with high gasps for air. Korra regains her breath first and rounds her back to take Asami's nipple into her mouth. Asami moans and tilts her head back, still sitting on top the Avatar. She drifts a hand lower against Korra's hard stomach, reaching the still covered area below the waist. There's not much patience left in her as she rips off the lower bindings and Korra yelps. The now completely naked women take shuddering breaths, savoring the moment, then crashing again together, tangling hopelessly into each other until no one would be able to separate them.

The water is lukewarm, but gets hotter by the minute as the two women heat up the temperature. Spirits are nearly bursting into flames thanks to the frenzy happening in the shallow pool. Asami peppers lipstick kisses all over Korra. They both have atleast five bite marks each on various locations. Asami is the first to slip towards Korra's sex. Once the Avatar realizes this, she really does not remember how her lungs function again. All she can do is stare at the face of her girl with shared half-lidded eyes, which is the sexiest thing Korra has seen, especially with those unbelievably long lashes. Their faces and whole bodies are burning up with anticipation. Finally, Asami nears the entrance of Korra. Her fingers feel the outside first, how slippery it is underwater, and she knows that she herself is dripping as well. She rubs experimentally and sees Korra close her eyes at the sensations.

It's pitch black and she can't hear anything through the water. All Korra can do is feel, it is all she wants to do. The warm body of Asami above her, kissing her lovingly as she rubs Korra's core in every way. Her arms reach around Asami's neck, then she twists them around so that Asami lies on her back, still touching Korra. The bender begins to regret her decision of flipping them over when her knees and elbows start to quake. Asami continues to tease Korra's opening. Korra can't take it anymore and lies on top of her lover, feeling their bodies meld together, breasts and nipples rubbing each other, and she slips lower on Asami as well. The contact of skin is warm, wet, and electrifying.

The older woman can't hear anything this time. The feeling of Korra on top of her makes her moan uncontrollably into her lovers mouth who has come down to kiss her passionately. They feel their tongues blending together, sending shivers down their spines. Asami strokes Korra more heavily and then squeaks when she feels two fingers between her own legs. The legs part easily and grip around Korra's waist, pulling them together even more. Both have an arm slung desperately around each other, and the other arm down cupping each other intimately. Asami doesn't wait anymore to insert a finger into Korra who's clit is now above water, but still incredibly soaked. Korra pulls away out of blissful surprise. She returns the favor and delves into Asami who squeals in delight. They crash together again, molding their whole beings together. It is as if everything is vibrating, their heartbeats going a mile a minute, plus the shaking spasms from the intensity of it all. Their paces are steady. Not too fast or too slow but just right. Neither are virgins, they gave that to each other, but Korra can't stop whispering in Asami's ear. "Does it hurt? I-Is that... okay?" she barely manages to breathe out in between sharp intakes as jolts of electricity accumulate in her lower stomach.

"Yes. Oh Korra... yes," Asami replies, a building explosion in her gut that's about to go off any minute. "I love you, pl-please..."

"It-It's okay. Let go," Korra says, as steadily as possible, beginning to feel tears spilling off her cheeks onto Asami's face.

She doesn't want to, but Asami is helpless against the budding release on the horizon. She can't hold back anymore and let's the orgasm wash through her and swallow her whole. She let's Korra's wet blue eyes claim her and take her away out at sea. Lost in the crashing waves, yet so at home in those arms that keep her safe. In the midst of it all, Asami's finger curls inside Korra at just the right spot, making Korra tremble and cry out. Their vision goes black and they get stuck in limbo for a while. Both remain on top of each other as they clench at the other's fingers. Aftershocks surge through their bodies as they lie together in paradise.

"Wow," one of them finally says. They turn to each other so they can both hear out of one ear. "Korra, that was amazing..." she sniffles and dries the tears on her face that aren't only hers.

"I know," Korra breathes out, strength gone, happily embracing her lover with tears in her eyes. "Sami... I love you."

"I love you too. I can't believe this is happening, that I get to hold you and be with you finally... I've dreamt of it so many times but I–I never thought..."

"...that it would be real," Korra finishes.

Asami laughs joyously. "Yes," she laughs again. Neither can get their wide, happy smiles off their faces. "You make me so happy."

"So do you."

The euphoric couple lie together for an eternity just enjoying each other. They roam their hands over each other tenderly, affectionately. The water is more than warm, bordering on boiling hot. Their cheeks are aflame and spirits who were once ignored by the pair return to hover around them, glowing brightly and illuminating the other's face. Asami and Korra watch each other fondly, remembering this moment and each other forever, completely and utterly devoted to one another.


	18. A New Age

_**A New Age**_

Avatar Korra sat atop the horn of a mountain, meditating. From above on the aerie, one could see what resembled a valley. It was steep and harsh and stretching out the land before plummeting it deep into the ground. And in the middle it gave way to a central glen. A small forest or natural garden, a green fleck among the icy blues of the high palisades. The sharp plateau Korra was on dove right off into the hollow. The other side of the summit which she had climbed was gentler like a hill that tricked anyone who wasn't at least a half-spirit to fall inside this massive crater-like landscape.

She had stopped Asami right before the woman plunged into the depths, having been too busy being mesmerized by the breathtaking view. The Avatar spirit, after saving her girlfriend, decided this was a perfect place to practice deep concentration. It called on her. The company owner took a seat behind Korra, having been told that it was too dangerous being close to the looming edge. Korra explained and reassured that she could sit at the brink without dropping over the side.

So Asami Sato rests on a rock nearby, relieving her shoulders of the heavy packing they'd been carrying. She pulls a journal out of the bag. While her love settles into a focused, unconscious state, Asami flips open the book. She passes pages of notes and writings and scribblings, all work-related. Nearing the middle of the booklet, the content slowly changes and shifts from Future Industries, to a person. They make an appearance on many of the pages, in different poses and situations. Sometimes they're drawn in near-perfect detail, and other times they're just a scribble off-hand. The shining olives of the genius raise their attention to the entity – of which she had depicted many times – on the lip of the peak. She needs to keep her eyes on Korra. Even though she trusts her girlfriend, she doesn't trust anything else near her girlfriend that seems threatening. Sitting, balancing on the edge of a precipice, is one of those threatening things.

With nothing better to do (not that she complained), Asami begins drawing the image in front of her on two empty pages of the journal. It is a gorgeous, once in a lifetime vision, and she wishes she had a camera to better capture this unforgettable picture of beauty. Small blue spirits sit perched atop Korra's wide shoulders, and one of them come to stand on the emerging image of the same girl in Asami's book. She swipes it away and finds herself staring again.

Oh yeah, and the scenery is pretty great, too.

She starts with the arms like always. Powerful and harboring great strength. She draws in peace, like she has never drawn before. In the past it was always out of stress that she began to sketch the Avatar, because Korra wasn't around. Yet despite that fact the drawings always came out scarily accurate. The CEO often caught herself with how much detail she seemed to recall about the young multi-bender, even after several years. Eventually she concluded that she still definitely loved the tribeswoman. As if she needed any proof... perhaps just reassurance. That was all she had after all; memories and the ability to remember.

This she will surely remember for decades. The unknown amount of time she's had the fortune of spending with the Avatar in the Spirit World will certainly hold a special place in her heart for the rest of her life. It was no wonder Bolin and Mako had basically fallen in love with the woman at first glance, only one of them took a while to admit it to himself. She thought the new Avatar was interesting and there was something that made Asami drawn to her, besides her being very attractive. As Asami thinks about this while drawing the woman and constantly peeking at her muscled back to take in details, she blushes. She has taken the chance to marvel at Korra before, volunteering to watch over her body while she meditated. Things are different now, in more ways than one. The engineer knows what the tanned beauty looks like under that teasing, skin-tight tank top. None of them wear undergarments anymore for the benefit of getting closer together sooner. Her flushed expression is probably a permanent one by now. It's way too new and Asami loves Korra's body. She is a very skilled martial artist herself with years of experience under her belt, but the flexibility of the shorter woman is impressive. Performing leaps and flips like nothing, as if she's spent half her life walking on her arms. That might be true in hindsight, Asami thinks while again hypnotized by the bulk of those biceps. She can openly stare now because they're alone and finally a couple, and she'll only maybe get teased about it later, or she'll receive a small show from Korra where the woman goes into splits that look like they're about to tear her apart from the middle. This is the kind of stuff you can do when you train your whole life, the business woman deducts.

Asami finishes drawing the amazing backdrop to the meditating Avatar, and as soon as she does they both break out of their reveries. Korra blinks back to awareness from the coma-like state induced by meditation, and rises – finally leaving the edge to Asami's relief – walking over to her artist girlfriend and placing a chaste kiss on the woman's red lips. The cross-legged inventor eagerly responds by tilting her face upwards to the leaning Avatar and holds her face in un-gloved hands. The kiss grows deeper and lovelier and even more precious. They break apart for Asami to return her journal in her bag, shouldering it again, and grabbing her love's hand. She's ready for a new adventure.

"Where to next? I mean, this spot was pretty amazing too, but every place we go to outshines the next."

"I was thinking of going to Xai Bau's Grove."

"No way! That was the place we tried looking for on the map of Misty Palms Oasis before, right?"

Korra giggles at Asami's excited expression, not commenting on how she must have applied a somewhat more intense shade of rouge on her cheeks today. "Yes, that place. Is there something special about that area?"

"No. Well I've always wanted to see it after trying so hard to find it. We've seen a lot of really cool things, but this one is on my personal wishlist I guess."

"Let's go there then!"

"Hang on!" Asami laughs at the excitable, child-like woman. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Korra stops jumping and smiles at Asami, who's laugh she has come to love more than anything, promising herself to make Asami do it more often and grace the worlds with her beautiful voice. "I thought about that. Hold on to me."

Korra offers her other hand. Asami grasps it too and they stand just like they did when first entering the world of the spirits. The Avatar closes her eyes and inhales deeply. The taller woman doesn't know what to expect. Suddenly, Korra's chest lights up in a pattern Asami has only ever seen depicted in old parchments. Those documents were found in libraries of which she rummaged through when searching for any information about the Avatar, in case it could help Korra fight the depression she was then currently living while in a wheelchair. Without her past lives... anything could help. She read about the spirit living inside Korra. _Raava._ That's who or what is manifesting in front of her at this very moment. The holiest of spirits. Korra opens her eyes to give way to the light. There's a surge of energy spurring in the palms of her hands that are still enclosed in the Avatar's. The ground beneath them shifts as the background blurs into colors and lights, all while the wind picks up significantly in speed. She can see it in Korra's bob and feel it on her own flowing locks. Then it stops. Just as quickly as it began. They're here at Xai Bau's Grove. Korra stops channeling the energy of Raava and the ancient essence disappears within the tribal woman, as does the otherworldly glow. Korra's back again.

"So, what do you think, babe?" she says and turns her head to see the small islands with strange trees jutting up from the ground, and a river splitting around the mini-peninsulas.

Asami still hasn't had time to survey their surroundings because she is still busy watching her girlfriend. "Amazing."

"I know right?" Korra tugs on Asami's hand to pull her close as they walk. "It's so much more beautiful than I remembered it."

"I can think of a couple reasons why that is," Asami says and finally tears her eyes away from the brunette. "What did it use to look like?"

Korra forces her heated face to calm down. "Uh, well the whole place was a lot less lively."

"Oh, so it isn't normal for…" The non-bender stops and sees what look like whalesharks floating in the sky. "What even is normal in the Spirit World?"

At Asami's musing Korra chuckles. "That's a good question. What do you think is?"

"I should know shouldn't I? How long have we even been here actually?"

"I..." Korra begins. "I guess we should find that out. What if we've been gone for months already?"

"Don't say that, love."

The engineer decides to find a tree-shade to bask under. Korra follows suit and cuddles up to Asami. The taller woman begins to play with strands of the Avatar's hair.

"Your hair is growing out." Maybe they have been gone for long.

"Do you think I should cut it?"

"No, no," Asami shakes her head as Korra looks up from leaning on her chest. "That's not what I meant. Do you want to though?"

"I don't know. It did get in the way sometimes, when it was longer."

Asami can certainly testify for that. Long hair is a nuisance (which is why she puts it in a tail), and she's recently found out that her scalp is very delicate, thanks to Korra who likes to pull on or just get her fingers stuck in it.

"Hey," Korra says. "Can I braid your hair?"

"I didn't think you liked that kind of stuff," she says instead of admitting that she's afraid of what might become of the top of her head if she lets Korra near it.

"What, I'm a girl too!"

"Of course, but I've never known you to be into this sort of thing."

"It's dangerous to assume, Sato. I would never have guessed that you can pilot every single form of transportation in the universe before I saw it myself. But you're right..." the muscular woman sighs. "I never was interested in being a girly-girl. Always focused on being the Avatar."

"I don't think you would have fit being a girly-girl. You're perfect as you are. Besides, I do enough of being a girl for the both of us," she laughs.

Korra smiles briefly then sits up from Asami's arm around her shoulder, and pulls her knees to herself. _Oh no,_ Asami thinks. "Korra I didn't mean..."

"What? No, it's okay," she says, and nothing more. Asami waits patiently and puts a loving hand on Korra's shoulder. The bender frees a soothing breath through the nostrils. "Do you really think so? A-About me not fitting as a girl?"

"Korra, like I said, you are perfect to me. Nothing else matters. Don't try to be someone you're not," she says and feels relief flooding over her at the beginnings of a heartfelt smile tugging on Korra's lips. She feels proud over herself for finding the source of uncertainty. "I didn't peg you for being insecure either. Seems we're finding out all sorts of stuff about each other."

"We are, but I like it. Thank you."

"Anytime. By the way, you are definitely a girl, Korra," Asami says. She refrains from biting her lip as she remembers the woman's alluring and feminine curves, her amazing muscles granting another layer of pure sex. "A beautiful girl too, and I love you. Don't ever think for one second that I don't."

Korra's smile is of genuine happiness. "No one has ever called me that. Beautiful."

"Well you are. How no one else has claimed you before eludes me."

"Don't talk about other people," Korra says, finding herself thinking the same about the engineer, how no one else has claimed the brilliant, gorgeous, amazing Asami before her. She doesn't want to think about that, because knowing she's lucky is enough. "I just want you."

"Aren't you sweet." Asami kisses her girlfriend on top of the head as they hug each other tightly. "I can help you be more of a 'girly-girl' if you want... just for fun though. Who knows, you might discover something about yourself that's new or that you like." Asami's excitement isn't hidden. Korra can't say no.

"Okay. But for now, let me do your hair."

As Korra kisses her back on the nose lovingly, and proceeds to turn her wavy locks into something Asami guesses is a traditional Water Tribe hairstyle (it doesn't hurt after all), the non-bender ponders how different and unconventional of a couple they are. They have nothing in common. They are complete opposites. Yet no one has loved the other like they love each other. Regrettably, her thoughts turn to regret, of what they could have done differently. Could they have ended up together earlier? Could she have saved her father? At the same time, the Avatar shares these doubts just by looking into the grove-water's reflection at Asami's somewhat troubled face. Could she have stopped her past lives from being taken away? Could she have come home earlier? Could destruction of the city have been prevented? They lock gazes in the water. Korra freezes the stream so it is clearer. In it, Asami can see Korra's work. Her dark hair is in two wolf tails that frame her face, and one more is on the top of her head. She can't hold back a tear. Suddenly those gloomy thoughts don't matter. They are grateful for everything that lead them here to where they are now, with one another, and they'll protect each other.

The inventor rests under their tree with her Korra-hairstyle and journal in hand again, drawing as the Avatar skates. The scene is quite beautiful with the newly frozen water and strange trees that look like the roots are upside down, above ground, at the top. The Avatar slides around and stands stable on the cracked surface of her native element. Asami doesn't know how to skate. Instead of being envious, she appreciates her talented girlfriend. She teaches Korra make up. Korra suggests that Asami should hold back on her rouge in the future, to which Asami's cheeks go even darker. The taller woman manages to highlight her girlfriends features, but in the end the tribal woman doesn't need it. The elemental master keeps the makeup on though, and carries her lover on her back effortlessly. She likes the way Asami wraps her arms around her neck and rests her head against the back of her own. The woman's lighter skin is flawless and amazingly smooth against her throat. Neither minds taking this little ride. Asami revels in the feeling of protection she gets from being huddled up against her girl's strong and invigorating back, who lifts her like she's weightless. Looking to the past was inescapable, and seeing the future was for once not a terrifying experience. New memories, new world, new love. There are no limits to what they can do and what they can overcome, together.

…

Asami wakes to droplets of water.

"Korra? It's raining." She gently shakes the woman beside her. Korra is crawled into herself and facing outwards. The engineer grows worried as the skies go duller. She hears pained whimpering. A hand shoots up to grab her arm and Asami yelps in surprise at the grip. A dark body follows, abandoning the covers and throwing herself at the shocked woman. Violent sobs rack her frame so hard and Asami has never seen anything like it from Korra and she's scared. Not this bad. It was never this bad. Before she can even ask what made this happen, a small voice utters the explanation.

"I lost my legs."

Asami doesn't know what to do and just holds the crying girl as hard as she can, as if to protect against whatever is out there. Her naked skin becomes wet with both downpour and tears from Korra.

"You didn't though. You can walk, and run, and fight." Asami delicately kisses Korra's forehead.

It's an uncomfortable thought. Korra mentioned hearing someone say they might have had to amputate her legs back when she was recovering. Korra has confessed so many things now that it's just the two of them, things Asami would never have known. Asami has yet to open up and Korra doesn't push.

…

They stand in front of the Tree of Time.

"So this is where Vaatu was imprisoned?" Asami asks.

The Avatar nods.

"Where is he now?" she continues.

"In me," Korra replies simply.

The inventor raises both brows.

"But he's harmless," she explains. "Do you trust me?" Korra says.

"When have I not?" she says, masking the trepidation more for her own sake.

They walk hand-in-hand into the hollow opening of the eons old tree. Her mind is empty as the tree's insides fill with her memories. First, there's the death of her mother. Her engineering degree achieved at the age of fourteen. Asami's very own moped. Going to her first (and definitely not last) probending match. The betrayal. Mako. The Avatar's death, and revival. Standing at the broken Korra's bedside with her hands clutched to her chest in silent admiration, concern... but not pity. A caring first kiss to the temple of the sleeping, troubled woman (when is she not?). Then the second death of someone in her life, and no revival. It feels like yet another piece of her has been ripped away, not leaving enough parts to mourn the loss. She gazes at these images like they were someone else's, and they leave no usual impact of emotion. This tree has granted her a deeper understanding.

"Thank you," she utters, and Korra nods thoughtfully.

"I can show you more."

The master of all elements places herself cross-legged in the center of the tree as Asami's recollections disappear. Korra pats the ground beside her casually and gives a meager sincere smile. The couple grab a hold of each other again and Asami watches Korra move her other hand to touch the rough surface of the hollow tree.

They still hold hands when the vision hits her, and it looks like they are travelling down a tunnel not unlike a train passing through a mountain. It stops moving at the site of another, much larger tree than the one they are in, but it is like looking through a lens. You are not actually here. Roots spread from its trunk into a maze of greenery – a huge swamp to cover miles. There are people here, clad in leaves and vines and probably smelling of sewer. They scatter, trying to mend the base of the massive tree which is damaged beyond repair, cut into arbitrary pieces by reckless saws.

Kuvira's work, Asami recognizes before Korra takes their minds elsewhere on this surreal spirit trip. This time they are back in Republic City, more specifically on Air Temple Island. All wedding decorations have been taken down and the place has a comfortable, harmonious, quiet energy. The halls are empty, no shouting from the airkids or Bumi. A voice suddenly confronts them: _"Korra?" _Jinora says from the dining hall. Even though they are not there, the young airbending master must feel them. The whole family stare gaping at her as if she's crazy, calling out the Avatar's name randomly during their lunch.

Immediately, Korra escapes the scene, but not before they can both note that none of their friends seem to have aged, so they can't have been gone for years. Next visit is Zaofu. The genius innovator feels there should be a tour guide on this world adventure, especially to explain this. Surprisingly, the Metal Clan have decided to leave the torn down domes open. Perhaps they haven't received back the platinum from the Colossus yet? Then she and Korra really have not been gone for very long. There are still banners of The Great Uniter in a few places. Before her girlfriend can take them away she can make out Lin in green apparel standing next to a shorter, grayer and bare-footed woman.

The pair are shot out of their shared vision. Taking a deep simultaneous breath they calm down for a moment, now reassured that Spirit World time cannot be moving faster than their world. Maybe this world moves slower even, sometimes. Asami returns gradually to real life, or the reality of this place, feeling her lover stroking her hand with a caramel thumb. She smiles fondly at the action.

Korra picks up her small, green backpack which is almost empty it seems, and puts it in her lap. Begins to search for something, and pulls out a green parka. The short-haired woman tosses it over her body and looks over at Asami who is busy buttoning up her own fancy coat. As the business woman finishes preparing, they stand to exit the tree. The Northern and Southern Portals are looming in both directions, giving off a luminescent ice cold blue and orange light. This place, no matter the Avatar's emotions, will always be somewhat cruel.

"I've never seen you wear that ever before," Asami points to Korra's choice of winter clothing.

"It's kind of a souvenir. Besides, it matches your eyes."

"You are so corny, and only around me," Asami says with mock annoyance.

Korra giggles and wraps herself around Asami's arm possessively. "Let's go see my parents."


	19. A World Away

_Previous chapter:_

_"Let's go see my parents."_

* * *

_**A World Away**_

I grab the mittens and pull them over my rough, calloused hands. They will protect me as I will dive into the fray to grab the broil. I feel a lithe hand slip across my back and a wet kiss on my cheek. She thanks me for helping as I reach into the heat to retrieve a roasted arctic hen. The warmth is brief and smoke from the oven is unwelcome on my eyes. Reaching for a towel to wipe my already rugged face – last time I shaved was before the Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding – I check the other side of the kitchen to see Senna cutting vegetables. Hearing me place the meat on the counter, she turns around and sees me, blackened cloth in hand, and smiles. Though I may look intimidating and am the Chief of the tribe, my wife knows the tenderness I am capable of better than I do. It runs in the family, I muse. Korra can be terrifying, especially in the Avatar State, but with us she is always pleasant and appreciative and loving (when she stopped being four, that is).

Seeing my wife and remembering my baby only further brings out the love I unconditionally feel for them. Thank the spirits that Kuvira dictator saved my life. She saddens me. What a waste. She had to become power hungry and destroy Republic City. I don't think about this for too long because Korra told me not to dwell on it, and that was three years ago. Speaking of which, we still haven't heard from Korra since she and Asami Sato disappeared from the wedding. Everyone figured they went, wherever they went, together. And so nobody was too worried when two people like that looked after each other, had each other's backs. We'd surely hear from them soon.

As if on cue, into the palace kitchen steps the Avatar and CEO of Future Industries.

"Hey, dad!"

I try not to stay speechless for long. "Uh... Hi, sweetie."

"Hello, Chief Tonraq," Asami Sato politely greets.

My wife heard the front door closing and walks over to investigate. She gasps. "Korra!" Then she throws herself at her daughter.

"Mom!" Korra calls out, half embarrassed, half endeared. She hugs back with equal fervor.

Once they pull apart, Korra grabs Asami's hand beside her and introduces the woman. "Guys, you've met Asami before." We nod, and she turns her head in the business woman's direction with a look of adoration on her face and eyes practically sparkling. Finally, she speaks with confidence as the two smile at each other. "She's my girlfriend," Korra beams with pride, looking like she did when presenting Naga for the first time, like Asami was a trophy.

Senna shares a wry grin with me as I walk over to them and pull the three women in a hug. "Welcome to the family, Asami," I say with a warm tone in my voice.

Korra can feel Asami tense, even through all the thick clothing necessary for polar weather. She looks over at her love and can see tears pooling in her girl's verdant eyes. The bender's expression turns grim because Asami's parents are dead. Kuvira killed her dad. In her father's and mother's arms she is still embracing Asami, and she does so even tighter as her parents release them, only for the couple to crumple together to the floor on their knees. Senna and Tonraq look bewildered. Then they see their daughter stroking their love's back comfortingly as the orphaned girl cries into Korra's shoulder.

After seeing Hiroshi and her mother die again in the Tree of Time, Asami didn't expect this. She felt no need to cry over them then because the tree and the Avatar granted her a spiritual connection. To her parents, to the world, and Asami was grateful that Korra showed her that. But now she realizes that she has no family waiting for her, and she finally gives in and cries right here in the arms of her love.

"Asami," Korra says with the gentlest of whispers, meant only for her. "You have a family. Tenzin's family, my family. They're your family too, and you have me. I'll always wait for you like you waited for me."

The engineer hiccups and trembles while pent up sadness is released in waves of shudders, and she clutches Korra tighter like a person overboard would hold desperately onto a bouy. Her sobs echo down the halls of the Chieftain's palace. She accepts solace from her girlfriend wholeheartedly, who has already explained she would do anything for her. Korra had plead to be able to support her the same way the brilliant engineer has when the Avatar was in a wheelchair, or like she did more recently after the shorter woman's nightmares in the Spirit World.

"They already love you," Korra continues cooing. "Dad especially. You helped him to Katara during Harmonic Convergence, and you saved us from the Si-Wong Desert in that sand sailor. Plus, I'm sure mom would love to get to know you better. You'll be the girly-girl daughter she always wished she could have and talk to about girl stuff that she never could with me."

At this, Asami smiles softly as her grief slowly subsides. The raven beauty hasn't let herself cry like this, so intensely, since Korra's letter almost a year ago now. Even then, she couldn't bring herself to cry over her parents.

"Please," Korra murmurs, "call them mom and dad."

Asami draws in a shaky breath. "Okay," she smiles. "I'd like that."

"They would too."

After they calm down, the pair walk arm in arm into the dining room to meet with their parents. Both Tonraq and Senna left to give the girls some privacy and waited for them in here. They wear sad smiles as the new couple sit beside each other, barely apart on the large seats of the royal home. They're curled up far into each other's sides and Korra begins to cut into the arctic hen to serve themselves. Asami basically sits in her girlfriend's lap. Everyone eats in comfortable silence for most of dinner.

"Mom, dad," Korra starts. Her arm draped over Asami's shoulder and rubbing soothingly. "How long were we gone?"

"About two weeks," Senna replies.

In anticipation for the dreaded answer, both Korra and Asami release a sigh at the not so frightening response. _Thank the spirits._

"Asami dear, are you okay?" Senna asks in her motherly voice.

The former heiress (now Chief Executive Officer), straightens her back a little more and answers with a slight sniffle. "Yes, thank you Sen- I mean, mom. I'm fine now." Both make eye-contact and share an awkward yet earnest glance. With time they'll get used to it.

"Where did you two go after the wedding?" Tonraq asks.

"The new portal, and then we walked through the Spirit World to the southern portal." Korra answers.

"Okay, good," Senna says, then looks between the two women. "Well if you two are done eating then maybe Korra can show you her room? Assuming you're here to stay?"

Korra watches her girlfriend in her arms with genuine worry and sees somewhat red-rimmed, yet gorgeous eyes staring back. She pulls Asami closer and presses a tender kiss to the rosy cheek, filled with care for the woman. "Sure," she speaks with her back turned to her parents, her gaze alternating between looking at the right and left pupils of her lover. They're developing their own language, staring at each other like this.

Once they leave the table with their hips essentially attached to the other, Asami reluctantly breaks apart. "I think I have to go to bathroom, to clean up."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be in my room."

They say no more and share a soft kiss before parting.

Korra enters her room. The last time she was here was more than half a year ago. It hasn't changed, but she has. Letters stand stacked upon each other in heaps organized by sender. Bolin's is the biggest by far, because not only did he send the most letters, but there was almost always a picture attached to each message. Asami's pile is right next to her bed. Korra walks over to it, but then bends down.

"Hello, Naga," the princess says and scratches the sleeping beast behind the ear.

The polarbeardog doesn't stay asleep for long and jolts awake immediately, jumping her owner with affectionate licks conveying questions like, _Where did you go? I was so confused. Doesn't matter. You're here now._ Love that only animals are capable of. Her tongue is drawn back into her muzzle as she pants from overwhelming excitement. Naga receives a hug around the neck before she helps the Avatar onto her feet again.

"Good girl, I missed you too." Korra pets her furry companion.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the desk where she sat and attempted to reply a hundred times and only succeeded once. It's not empty. There is a stack of even more letters, unopened. The princess approaches them with hesitancy. These were sent while she left for Republic City – or tried to. First couple of papers are all from Bolin, with the usual poorly done drawings of something he saw that day, like a soldier giving a kid a box of apples. Next few ones are from Mako, talking about sting operations he's missed out on since Wu is dragging him around town for spa treatments and shopping sprees. The detective/bodyguard ends up recounting what weather they had that week. Hail, surprisingly, in the middle of spring. Finally, the last ones are from Asami herself, and Korra is not sure what to expect or if it is even worth reading now that is so long ago.

She tears open the letter anyways. With trepidation and feigned confidence, Korra pulls out the message and unfolds the immaculate writing.

_Dear Korra..._

* * *

Asami closes the taps and wipes her cleaned face with a towel. She looks in the mirrors. One can still see she has been crying, and she's make-up free. _Nevermind_, she thinks. _It's only Korra and her family._ _Besides, Korra has already seen me without it. Grow up, don't be silly._

She leaves the bathroom, which is blue like everything else in the Water Tribe. Through the windows she can see the Southern Lights become more apparent as the sun sets, and also the snowmobile tracks which are slowly being covered up by mildly falling snow. The engineer has missed the sight of naturally transitioning day and night. She heads down the hallway for Korra's room where she sees the Avatar with her back arched over a desk. Her Earth Kingdom parka stands out against the navy of the palace. Naga sits by her owner's side, whimpering. Asami moves closer to the woman and wraps her arms around the Avatar's middle to which Korra lets out a gasp. It is then when the engineer realizes her love is crying under the hand she uses to try and cover up. Her heart lurches painfully at the sight.

"Korra! What's wrong?"

"I-I..." she chokes.

The CEO's eyes travel across the desk to opened letters and scribbles of stickmen. In the midst of them all lie ripped open envelopes with the seal of Future Industries. Her eyes widen in understanding. Korra was already missing when she sent these, and now their parents must've saved them for their daughter. The letter which Korra is gripping in her hand, and is beginning to stain with tears, is the one Asami sent after realizing that six months was the amount of time that the bender had been gone. It was her love confession.

Asami feels Korra turn in her arms and grapple at the back of her coat while letting the tears fall. They stand like that for a while, and Asami whispers things. "I have already forgiven you." Korra lets out a howl at the loving words. Asami lets her own eyes pool a little bit, she already cried enough today. Leading them to the bed, Asami pulls Korra down with her down onto the large and comfortable mattress fit for royalty. She doesn't miss her own bed anymore, not that she ever did when sharing a bedroll with Korra, but this is even better.

"I love you, too," Korra says, like she's about to add more.

"Don't you dare say I'm sorry."

"O-okay, I won't," she shivers in Asami's embrace. Both find comfort in their shared body heat. "I'm tired of crying."

Asami chuckles, feeling lighter than ever. "Me too."

* * *

**A/N: So, lemme level with you guys for a second. You may have noticed that Korra's first introduction of Asami as her girlfriend is a bit different than in other stories. Specifically, it lacks the typical "coming out". I have decided to get rid of that completely and homophobia will not be a source of conflict in this story. I like to think that even though the Avatar-world has a long way to go within politics, same-sex relationships are something they are very mature with. In fact, in this world/fic/story, people praise and look up to gay relationships because they are more uncommon (but not abnormal or wrong, please don't think I'm saying that). So thanks to their rarity, those couples are respected and even revered, seen as something to be protected and cherished. **

**Mako and Korra didn't need a public announcement telling everyone that they were dating, so why should Korra and Asami? All of this is the reason why Tonraq and Senna barely batted an eye when Korra barged in with a girlfriend. They surely knew about their daughter, and they've met Asami before and probably put two-and-two together when Asami helped Korra and even offered to leave her company to go with Korra to the South Pole 3 years ago.**

**So, I hope that doesn't put you off my story. I have so much planned and we have plenty of chapters to go through before even reaching the plot. I just have to say, all of these chapters (from 13 and on) are filled with so much foreshadowing and symbolism of the themes and of Korra and Asami. All the titles I pick are meant to make you think. The smallest detail and subtlest dialogue all say something. Everything in here matters, it's there for a reason.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading as always!**


	20. Juvenile: Part 1

_Previous Chapter:_

_Grow up, don't be silly._

* * *

_**Juvenile: Part 1**_

When the heiress had a nightmare she liked to go into her parents's room and cuddle up to them for comfort. Hiroshi and Yasuko's room, which was dark and big, was at times frightening and it was a challenge for little Asami just to cross the room to her parents's bed. But once she made it over she nestled herself between them, listening to their heartbeats that confirmed to her developing mechanical mind that they were alive and well. Her nightmares were always of losing them. The mother and father always reassured their little girl that such a thing would never happen. She was being silly for believing so.

Ever since then the engineer knows to trust her dreams and that they are never wrong.

Korra's room is much more welcoming than her parents's. Smaller, quaint, and traditional. Void of any personal belongings that any other individual would have had. Where Asami's bedroom and closet are filled with expensive clothing, books, and other stuff she's collected over the years (anything she wanted she had), the walls in Korra's room are decorated with simple Water Tribe designs and hunting weapons placed there before she moved in. The people of the south have taught themselves how to effectively make any space homey with the use of furs. The Avatar's room is no exception.

Korra has possibly a thousand letters and envelopes from the other three members of Team Avatar littering her desks, tables, and floors. These voices reaching out were never answered, except for one. Asami asked her all those years ago to come with her to the South Pole. Now finally she can and Korra is so grateful. Asami could come here at any time. They're only a portal away from each other if the CEO was in Republic City. Only a Spirit World stood between them.

They lie awake together in the large bed with legs and arms draped over each other. Asami likes to sleep on the left side of Korra, and she only now realizes why. The Avatar's powerful heart beats like a tsunami wave eager to break shore and destroy anything in its way. The calm pounding can be heard more definitively on the left side of the bed, her ear closer to Korra's right side. Korra's heart is literally in the right place.

The younger woman has no problem with this since she can listen to Asami's heart too, in her right ear – on Asami's left side. Even though they seem to keep finding things that only further make them opposites, they've never felt closer. Talking for hours through the night about everything and nothing. The former heiress had the chance to finally open up about her lost and neglected childhood. How after her mother died, her father became more reclusive, and her only company was the dead-eyed mansion staff. Korra listened patiently. Much later, the latter sits up in bed to take her clothes off. Asami easily blushes, and Korra sees this but her face stays serious.

"I have nothing to hide from you," she says directly into her eyes. Asami calls her beautiful. Asami does. By logic that must mean she is the second most beautiful woman in the world, because Asami is the most. The parka and top comes off to reveal Korra's nude torso. She'd commented on how freeing it was when they both decided to go the rest of the vacation without undergarments, and also how without regular support her chest moved much more than she was used to, to Asami's delight. Korra is surprisingly well endowed, and no one knows this (except Asami) because those bindings hold on so tightly to keep from obstructing the Avatar during a fight. The engineer is still somewhat perplexed as to how her girlfriend manages to move like she does with a chest like that.

Her breath hitches when her completely naked lover crawls towards her. Asami may be taller, but Korra is so much bigger than her. It makes her own heart thump in the rhythm of thrashing waves against cliffs. Suddenly the icy-blue room blooms a few degrees hotter at seeing this new side of Korra. The wild and untamed version, where a few short and unruly hairs stick out, and those profoundly cyan orbs turn into dark, love-drunk abysses. Around her lover, Asami never feels richer.

"Shh." The Avatar whispers, "Don't wake up Naga."

Her voice is hoarse and it cracks. A sound that Asami never knew could come out of Korra and it flares the passion within her. Asami doesn't ask, _'What about your parents?',_ and just lets the bronze beauty take her. Nothing else matters when they are together.

The only thing that does matter is making Korra moan in that new sexy voice of hers.

There are entrancing caresses at first. Both women are learning the other's body better every time and can make each other squeal, grunt, and cry with simple touches on a brown shoulder, a pale hipbone, a dark inviting neck, or enchanting and alluring apple lips. This is their first night together in the human world, and both intend to make it the best so far.

There's the removal of the businesswoman's coat and clothes. They slip under the blankets, exchanging naked kisses and palms against skin. The tanned woman is a mysterious combination of hard and soft, one that Asami can't wait to press her flesh against. The throbbing ache beneath her waist causes the former heiress to go down on her lover. For the first time, she gets a never before known taste of the water tribe native. She could get drunk on the sensation. A sweet taste on her tongue. Besides being rewarded with more of Korra pouring out onto her mouth, she also fulfills the goal of hearing the Avatar scream out. But it's impossible to hear outside the bedroom because the cry is almost silent, yet guttural and intense as she makes a painful bridge out of her back. The need isn't satisfied on Asami's end and she keeps going, drawing out the waves while Korra ravishes her black hair with strained fingers. There's a second release almost immediately and at this point Korra desperately claws and tries to push Asami's face away, but to no avail. The Avatar cums for a third straight time in about thirty seconds and finally manages to shove her lover away with heavy and trembling arms. The engineer crawls up the tan body of her lover, leaving kisses wherever she can reach, making the woman under her shake violently with sensitivity.

"Stop. Ohh, Sami... I'm gonna pass out," she groans in a broken voice, content as her girl enters her arms for a cuddle.

Korra has spent so many nights in this place, unable to move. It's kind of the same now, but at least she's not alone. Neither of them will ever have to sleep alone again.

The younger woman isn't done though and decides to also try something new. It seems to work because Asami is surprised when the bender rises from their embrace and gets on top for a deep and powerful kiss, serving to ignite again. Tongues part lips and the Avatar's taste lingers in Asami's mouth for Korra to test. That's an intoxicating feeling and it's one she wants Asami to experience. She also wants to know what the woman's flavor is.

But for now, the bender bends Asami's knee over her shoulder so that she sits in between her legs. Korra gets on top after teasing her girl a bit, and then rubs herself on top of Asami. The feeling of moisture against moisture, her over-sensitive nub making contact with Asami's, it was one of the hottest things next to seeing the former heiress's face between her thighs. That former heiress now has a blush on her cheeks from the entirely different feeling this brought on. The Avatar, who is having trouble focusing, aided her efforts of pleasing her woman by adding a hand to the gyrating hips below her. Korra rocks her own hips at a steady pace and soon the gliding beneath her turns into raw humping before halting all of sudden. Asami's vision goes black from the release of pooled heat in her lower stomach. She could feel herself mix with Korra. But it didn't stop there. Korra is hell bent on making Asami come as many times as she did, and she keeps pumping her fingers. The older woman is much too weak by now and can't thrust back, only feel, but her lover takes care of that. Green eyes watch a shadowy silhouette with some illuminated spots on her breasts and arms. There's sweat that glistens there in the moonlight coming from the windows, and one of the dark shoulders rotates and flexes the bicep until Asami can feel a thumb rubbing under her hood while the woman's own is sliding on top of her. The nub there gets attacked from all directions with slick heat and it makes her feel like she's surrounded, engulfed in hot electric pleasure. She sees the defined figure increase the movement of her arm and Asami lets go, cumming in Korra's hand for a second time. By now she can't tell up from down, and it doesn't help that the Avatar decides to crawl across her to place them upside down. There's a tongue brushing her extremely delicate, almost vibrating clit, and another pair of folds staring down at her. She does the only logical thing and presses her mouth into them. It doesn't take long for both of the women to collapse in sweaty mess of tangled everything. Afterwards, Korra moves to make them comfortable in her queen-sized bed.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," the princess says. "I want to show you something, tomorrow."

After two weeks only, the couple are more intimate than most, if not all other relationships they know of. Korra's parents said nothing about the two of them being together except for their silent approval. Asami doesn't doubt that their friends will be supportive, they'll be jealous if anything. Bolin and Opal, Jinora and Kai. Both of those couples have been going somewhat strong for three years. She and Korra have been away from each other for the same amount of time. She suspects they are closer than their friends are and the former heiress finds pride in that and hugs her love tighter, receiving an even more eager response from the girl in her arms. Closing her eyes in absolute complacency, her girlfriend pecks her face with kisses leading her to believe that Korra is feeling the same thing she is. Deciding to voice it she says, "I'm so lucky I got you."

Confirming her thoughts, Korra answers, "You have no idea how I feel."

In the Spirit World, everything was so surreal. Both Korra and Asami have to pinch themselves to confirm that this is not a dream; that this is real. That they really truly are in love and that Korra is here and she's not gone or dead. It's too good to be true and they're almost afraid to believe it. That's something that will never change and although Korra thinks she's cried enough for today, she can't help but let slip a few tears behind her eyes, and soon she feels a few drops splash on her cheek. The two women's hearts beat in synchronized harmony, left side to right.

* * *

**A/N: So the thing about Korra having her heart on the right side – instead of the much more common left side, like the rest of us – is called "Situs Inversus" which is a very rare condition. I don't know where this idea came from, I just thought it fit with the symbolism. I mean, what can I say? I love subtext.**

**Jesus Christ this chapter was a bitch to write. It's the reason I split it into two parts because I want to continue it under the same title, but it's been a while since I updated and I'm not gonna hold you over any longer + all of the text on this document is disorienting – It's like 20 pages, and 10 of them are notes and future chapters. I have the whole thing outlined, I just have to organize and plan a bit more. My main issue is that I keep coming up with new ideas to add, which is stalling me from the actual writing as I put down notes on my phone.**

**I'm not going to apologize for not being as fast a writer as other people, or for not writing as much. I write for myself and promised myself I'm going to finish this. It's going to take a while. That is the truth.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	21. Juvenile: Part 2

_Previous Chapter:_

_"I want to show you something, tomorrow."_

* * *

_**Juvenile: Part 2**_

Her whole life, Korra has always thought that mornings were evil. She understands they are a necessary evil though. It's a new day and another opportunity, but there's no denying how tired and dead she feels when the sun rises every time. But now, she thinks there's a lot more too it and she can't actually wait to wake up tomorrow again. And the next day after that, because this is her first morning back in the human world, with Asami. And the woman lying next to her, with hair spread out in a black sea on the white pillow, is so beautiful that Korra's heart hurts. There's a thought that strikes her and makes her insides boil with excitement. It is that Asami is _hers_. She can actually go around saying that to people. They've been alone for the longest time, and Korra just can't wait to show off her girl to everyone because, _Look, isn't she amazing?! I love her so much_.

Asami is so smart. The smartest person Korra knows and it boggles her mind as to why this genius would pick her, and Korra feels so out of the CEO's league. This wealthy woman can have anyone in the world and _I'm the one she picks?_ The tribeswoman settles back into their embrace and gives thanks in the form of a kiss on a flawless forehead. She kisses thanks for everything. That she can walk again (because she isn't still stuck alone in this home and this room, waking up from nightmares). That she's healthy, and she's found the one to love that makes her happy.

The former heiress is vaguely aware of the arm and lips on her skin giving abundant and affectionate attention. She gives no clue that she's awake and revels in the touches, silently letting her stomach flip out of control. _She's mine. _The goosebumps that grow on her body quickly vanish as she feels the Avatar pull her closer into her own warm body. Asami barely manages to hold back a content hum. How she managed to find someone so awe-inspiring a person as Korra is beyond her. To think she might never have seen this girl again, all that work she buried herself in to forget... It was worth waiting, that's all she needs to think about. The smile on the short-haired girl's face is absolutely endearing and infectious as Asami peeks with one eye up at her Avatar. It's an expression she so badly wanted to see on the soulful face of the broken girl. Even back then, Asami could read Korra's eyes so easily; they were clear and hid nothing. Not even the ash that had replaced Korra's natural essence could block out the raw emotion from her.

The waterbender's blues aren't just a sea; they're also the sky; the shade of rare sapphires pure from the earth; the scorching heat of intensely heated flames; the omnipotence of the spirits when in the Avatar State. Korra is powerful under the glow of the moon and the stars in the night, under the bright light of the sun and comets in the day. In the shine of the Spirit World, or with animals and children of the earth and atmosphere. There's probably not a place in the universe where Korra doesn't feel at home.

But to Korra herself, all those things she never considers, because this is her home. In Asami's arms. She's grateful that Asami was finally willing to open up about herself more than before. Talk about things she never has and needed to let out, about her father and mother and herself. When Asami talked about her childhood, Korra remembered her own.

She was worried about being a failure, a spiritual failure and now look at her (though not to brag).

Asami worried about never seeing Korra again but still admonished the girl about feeling sorry for what other people did to her. Now look at them.

_"I haven't told you or anyone about these things, and I don't know why I haven't earlier, but... One of the reasons I never returned was because I saw something. Something–myself, in the Avatar State, and I thought I was going insane... I was terrified."_

_Asami hugged Korra tighter in the darkness. "It's okay," the Avatar continues. "I'm past it now, and there's the other thing. I still had poison in me and–before you go mad, it's already out. I got it out, and I'm okay. I felt like I could finally return, obviously I still wasn't fine but... I just thought the world didn't really need me anymore, like I've done my purpose and I could just... die. Whenever I felt like that–when I lost my purpose during those three years, you gave me one. I had someplace to return. I was afraid of being a burden to you all while you helped rebuild the world after I had just left it. I didn't know I'd be one either way with how I hurt you."_

_Asami listened just as patiently as Korra had when she talked about herself as an invisible child growing up. Then, she spoke. "Korra, I will never stop telling you that I don't hold anything against you, it's more towards the people who held you from me. And, you wouldn't have been a burden to us when we were 'rebuilding' the world, because we just helped build upon the changes you already made. These changes you made to make the world a better place." There was a pause. A deep breath._

_"Sami?"_

_"When you were at your absolute lowest... If you really worried about the world being better of without you, then maybe the world doesn't deserve you. You just keep giving and people keep taking. It just made me so mad and I wanted to give back. I couldn't help but feel slightly hurt that you wouldn't let me come with you, but I pushed past it for you and instead promised to make the city a better place. Now I know that's exactly what you wanted me to do, but my greatest wish was that you would've been there to see it."_

Korra admires Asami for being a nonbender; she doesn't know how the woman does it because it was horrible to lose her bending before. Asami had explained that she was just born without it so she never really knew what she missed. She's capable of building cars and cities and inventions without it, and bending might even have distracted or been in the way of her destiny. It makes Korra think that she never really knew her past lives, so it isn't as bad without them (even though it was painful to lose them). She's proven, just like Asami, that she doesn't need them anyways. Maybe they would've even been in they way.

The current Avatar's achievements are never recognized, it seems. Not like Asami's were everyone praises her for fixing their destroyed city while blaming Korra. It's like people put the two against each other. So that's why the businesswoman went out of her way to build a statue in honor of her friend (it probably isn't standing anymore, though). The Avatar is supposed to be this all-knowing god who has the solution to everything, yet Korra doesn't seem to be revered like that, or even respected. The Avatar isn't allowed to make mistakes, and Korra has unfortunately made many of great consequence. People make the mistake of thinking that Korra isn't human.

Just like Republic City keeps getting attacked and threatened for its significance, Korra as the Avatar will too. Korra lives her life like every day is her last because it may very well be. She knows it's better this way than to live in fear of what might be and regret what already has happened. Also, it's just in her personality, and that scares Asami because she doesn't want Korra to get hurt anymore.

The older woman keeps thinking that if the people actually knew Korra – the real Korra and not Avatar Korra – then Asami knows no one could hate the girl.

The Avatar keeps thinking that If everyone knew Asami – not just the rich, genius business tycoon and engineer/daughter of Hiroshi Sato – then no one could stop loving her.

The fact that they understand each other so well might not actually be a compliment. It just means they've both been through too much.

Korra couldn't have loved Asami before she loved herself.

"Good morning."

Asami cracks open her eyes. "How did you know I was awake?"

"You were practically purring under there," Korra smiles.

"And how do you know that wasn't snoring?"

"You don't."

* * *

The city-girl can feel the winter landscape chill her to the core. It bites her bones and makes them rattle as she clings to the Avatar for warmth. It's a chance to breathe in the scent that has become familiar to her as Korra. They gallop in clear sun through tundra on the back of Naga. The animal guide's muscle and tendons are strong under thick, pale fur. It thrills the engineer, making her giddy, excited, and afraid, all at the same time. Not much different from driving a satomobile, only she has no control over the direction. Huge front-paws take most of the force from the smaller back ones as this arctic beast pulverizes the snow beneath in a grinding halt. The tribal woman disembarks, taking a freezing woman with her. Asami's gloved hands get cradled in Korra's only lightly-covered ones, and begin to heat up when they feel the effects of firebending. She stops shivering. _We're here,_ Korra's eyes tell her, as if the massive compound doors with a White Lotus seal don't speak for themselves. Naga is thrown a treat behind her back as the engineer inspects massive walls made to keep something dangerous out, or in. Korra approaches her side and locks their hands, squeezes them and silently asks with a lopsided grin, _ready?_, and Asami nods, smiling tenderly at the girl who wears a parka the same color of her own green eyes. It's cold like always here at the pole and she's glad they decided to put on underwear today, as if that would help.

Her warmed hands in furry gloves are grabbed and tugged along by a very giddy Avatar and the compound is huge. Everything except the buildings are made out of snow and her whole vision fills with white. If she hadn't already been outside for a while then the brightness would make her see stars. Through the snow's blinding reflection she sees colors like red and blue and green everywhere on the grounds. There is a huge sparring area for example. A type of mat that covers the large surface in front of a roofed stage or platform. This is where she had her firebending test, a very excited Korra tells Asami. The older woman gets pulled to the next station.

These are some training dummies for all four types of bending, made to withstand their own element. The water one is just simple wood and can double as something to physically hit. The earth one is hard stone. Rock beats rock. Fire is devoid of any fabrics and...

"This one never got used," Korra says, halting her tour at the dummy with an Air Nation emblem. "I never did learn airbending in the compound, but I might as well try it out now," she says with a smirk.

Korra begins to run through a series of attacks and stances that look very elegant with many fast and extreme movements. She's been doing this for a long time. Her whole life. It's what she knows best, how to fight, and a lifetime of activity can make a person impossibly fit. Asami is still not anywhere near the stage where you stop blushing at your significant other. She wonders if she ever will.

The grace and excellence of which the airbender pulls off one form after the other is a testament to all those years spent in training. Suddenly the younger woman switches to the next dummy with fire and the dramatic change in movements is instantly noticeable. It's hard and it's fast and it's intense. Korra is in a trance like she's lost where she is, yet she's completely in control when that smirk reappears.

She repeats the switch of element, into earth, and she's done all of this a thousand times yet she never gets tired of it. Bending, and the simple, childish, contagious joy in her face when she's doing the thing that makes her happy, doesn't make Asami jealous but it makes her smile. It fills her with bitter sweetness. While these are incredible results and the Avatar wields massive power, it has taken a lot of time to master that level of skill. It means that Korra has not had the time to live. She lost her childhood at the age of four when the White Lotus came and took her away to spend more than half her life perfecting martial arts that would one day save their lives.

The young Avatar was bombarded with rules and being told what to do. Expectations for the future only kept rising as Korra showcased more and more precocious abilities. It's similar to her own experiences, Asami realizes. When the young, emerging inventor first met Korra, that was also when she realized her attraction to women, or to Korra. Korra cared about her public opinion (just like Asami does), so the CEO did her best to support her friend when she only had eight percent approval rating. Now Korra just doesn't care anymore what people think and the former heiress admires this.

The White Lotus protected her from people, when it is she who's supposed to protect the people. They sheltered her from the world that she was supposed to protect. The Red Lotus saw these as mistakes and went after the Avatar. The Order of the White Lotus's mistakes became Korra's and Korra had to live with and pay for those by almost losing her life. A life she had barely had time to live in the first place.

Korra had stopped bending and is showing a thoughtful Asami around to more rooms and places she grew up in. Like the den in which she learned healing from Katara. It strikes her how the humongous size of her childhood home is similar to Asami's mansion where Hiroshi Sato protected her from the world, from benders, from people. Aang wanted her to be protected too, but maybe not in this extreme way. However, everyone can make mistakes. No one is perfect.

Zaheer told her that her powers are limitless, and evidently he's right. Korra thought she knew what she was capable of, but then she learned to take away and restore bending, became a giant spirit, survived poison anybody else would've died of, and created a new Spirit Portal. The White Lotus didn't just protect Korra from people; they protected her from herself. That little four-year old toddler who could bend three elements. People fear what they do not understand. Zaheer understood, and he tried to kill Korra. Zaheer did it because that is way too much power for one person. Korra and the Avatar is dangerous, and she had to be destroyed.

Korra still doesn't know everything that she can do, and power has a tendency to make people greedy. Asami knows this because she grew up around money. People get bored and it lets them break their routine – it's why we have ambition, to find our purpose on this earth, something that means something to us that we can believe in. When they do find their purpose and are successful, it's hard to stop them there. You want more. Both the Avatar and the CEO do their utmost not to fall in these pits, and it helps that they already know the effects of being consumed by the power of flight or billions of yuans earned from satomobiles. You cannot know gratitude without first knowing greed.

Neither Korra or Asami had any childhood friends or siblings. They are opposites in a lot of things and yet Asami knows what it's like to be isolated and sheltered, thus why it hurt to be asked by her only parent to betray her only friends.

Korra doesn't know what it's like to lose your parents (she got a glimpse of it though when her dad fell off a cliff), but she did lose her past lives – a whole era of parents.

If Korra wasn't the Avatar then she wouldn't have come to Republic City and they would never have met. If Korra wasn't the Avatar then she would've been a very different person. She doesn't know what kind, but she's happy that she knows her purpose and in the end they're both thankful for their past because it helped shape who they are and where they are today; they don't regret their life. Their past is part of why they can't be with anyone but each other because they understand each other so well.

What Korra managed to do in one year when she was seventeen and eighteen is astounding and more than plenty of other Avatars. What Asami managed to do with Republic City in three years is beyond what any other industrialist has ever done and she pioneered the infrastructure. Korra and Asami's lives will be measured in not how wealthy they are, but by how much they loved. Each other, their family, their friends. They are so happy together and even though either could die anytime there's danger, they decide not to dwell on it and resolve to make their time together the best of their lives and not waste a minute. Asami wants to let the Avatar be as childish as she wants to make up for lost youth, and Korra wants to make Asami loosen up to make up for having to grow up too soon.

One look is shared and both know what they're thinking of.

While they go otterpenguin sledding, the engineer thinks that the world has been fine without an Avatar for three years. It can handle another two weeks without that gleeful smile and her own happy laughter.

Whenever Korra stepped into a room, her aura and smile was infectious and energetic. Asami was one of the only ones who got to see her girlfriend vulnerable and not keeping up a strong face, or now on the ground with panicked hiccups. Asami confesses right now that she admires how Korra is herself. People want to be her. But Korra doesn't want anyone to experience what she has; how can anyone be jealous of her? Her powers may have brought good for the world, but it's a world of pain for her. She still has PTSD and it won't ever go away. She realizes that in the past she lost her bending, her past lives and Raava, her life, and now she can lose Asami. If she did then Korra's not sure she can keep going; she's already wanted to kill herself before – It was Asami that brought her home. Asami realizes that with nothing to lose, Korra could go down a very dark path and misuse her powers.

Korra's previous fears are minuscule compared to the one of losing her Asami. It's why she had a panic attack in the first place. At the bottom of the hill, surrounded by waddling, flightless birds, Asami cradles her lover.

They're at this point where finally the time has come for them to be together. They know to be patient while you wait, or your life will pass you by. Korra made the decision to do the opposite of what everyone told her to do. When she left the compound, her life began. When she left the healing sessions in the South Pole, she began really healing. When she was told to stay, she ran. Don't fight, she fought. She did everything 'wrong', yet everything turned out so right.

The Avatar doesn't demand anyone's respect, even though a paragon of virtue lives within her. Korra understands why the White Lotus locked her up (she kind of wants to do the same with Asami). People might not like her and she can try to change that but she doesn't because she's happy with her life and doesn't care what anyone else thinks. With all her power she gets to suffer anyway, for other people. While she lost a lot of her life, being the Avatar is her destiny. Korra is compassionate, living a life that's worth a whole lot more than most other's, because everybody else cares about themselves and she will care about them when they stop caring about themselves, about her, or about anything. Because being able to wake up for another day and another morning is worth it, and everyone deserves a chance to not be given up on.


	22. A Cracked Diamond

_Previous Chapter:_

_The fact that they understand each other so well might not actually be a compliment. It just means they've both been through too much._

* * *

_**A Cracked Diamond Is Still A Diamond**_

"The night is young, you should enjoy it," Katara says, with a gentle smile.

"It's almost midnight," Korra deadpans, growing serious. "You don't want us to come with you, at least walk you home?" she asks, her fingers threaded with Asami's.

"Don't worry about me. I have Kya, remember?" says her former teacher.

"The White Lotus won't be around to guard you anymore though."

"I've never needed them in the first place," the elder spoke, placing a hand on the Avatar's shoulder who sighs.

"I'm just worried that something will happen to you or Tenzin now that I've separated myself from the order."

The eighty-nine year old looks up to the short Avatar. Blue eyes meet blue and the wrinkly and sage woman is kind. "Believe that you have made a wise decision, Korra."

The younger waterbender looks sideways and her hair sweeps with the turn. Katara can feel the slowly growing strands brush against her wrinkled hand as it lays on the woman's shoulder. "At least the Red Lotus is no longer a threat," the Avatar resolves.

"Which I'm sure Zuko and President Raiko are going to be overjoyed to hear," the elder, who has basically become Korra's gran-gran, says.

Katara watches as her former student turns her head towards the light-skinned woman beside, giving a coy smile. Asami had squeezed the shorter girl in reassurance. Both of the two young women look at each other as if huge walls of ice had suddenly erected around them, supplying shelter from the world and its distractions. The Sato girl stands straight in posture with both her hands around one of Korra's, looking like a bashful teenager with naturally red cheeks in the cold weather, which compliment her classy velvet coat. A grateful smile makes its way onto the confident girl as they share a gratifying look. There are no walls though, unfortunately, and anyone can intercept their secret-but-not-very-subtle communication.

Katara coughs.

The pair switch their attention and cough too, wide-eyed and embarrassed. They're still getting used to being with each other _and_ around other people. The couple looks so out of place at the Glacier Spirits Festival. The white and red upper-class woman (who's skin blends in with the perfect snow), the blue, green, and brown native tribal woman, both holding hands and walking around the carnival while people shoot off unabashed, awe-filled stares. Not because Master Katara is here. No, not because of her, but because that is two girls together, and one of them isn't the normal skin color of everybody else, which all of the above is as uncommon as it gets down in the South Pole. Furthermore, that is the CEO of Future Industries–the girl who builds cities–and that is the Avatar–the girl who saves the world.

What in the world are they doing here?

Korra's blush recedes beneath dark cheeks. "We'll see you then. Take care."

"Goodbye girls."

Farewell hugs are shared between the three women. Katara whispers into Korra's ear when Asami can't hear or see, telling her to do something right.

_"So did you find what you were looking for?"_

_"No, I found something better. You were right. In the end I did find the meaning in my suffering, and more."_

_"That's good." Katara sips on some tea out of her cup. "Now I do have something that was meant to be given to you as soon as your airbending training had been completed at the compound, but we all know how that went. Instead, let me give you Aang's gift now."_

_Korra was stunned. "Aang had left something for me?"_

_"It's an old device he had constructed for use during the many travels he'd make into the Spirit World. It'll let you know how much time you've spent away from the human world."_

_The current Avatar looks at it, fishing for something in her pocket._

_"It should fit perfectly," Katara continued._

Asami and Korra wave at the retreating form of the great old lady. Their surroundings come to life again as they tune back in to the laughing and chattering coming from the festival behind them.

"How has your month in the Spirit World and Water Tribes been?"

"Lovely."

"Ready to head home?"

"Definitely. It was fun to hang out with mom." Yes, the connection between Asami and Senna was instantaneous and even though it took time to get used to, Korra's girlfriend was treated like another daughter of the family. The daughter Senna never got to have, the mother Asami never got to have. "They remind me a lot about you, especially dad."

"How so?"

"For one, his energy is never-ending, and he's kinda intimidating at times." Not that Asami is ever afraid of Korra. There is no reason to be. "While this was definitely nice I'm kinda tired of them for now."

"I don't blame you. I love them but I think it's about time we went back to Republic City..." Korra pauses. "Are you tired of me?" she asks softly, unable to help the pout settling on her lips.

Red lips gape open in surpise. "No! I mean–I don't think I'll ever get tired of you... If anything I'm going to miss you a lot when we have to get back to work rebuilding."

Korra sighs. "It was bad being away for so long during those three years, but we weren't together then. I don't really want to know what it's gonna be like now that we are, even if we'll only be apart for a few hours a day."

The former heiress saw her girlfriend sigh. "You really thought that I would get sick of you? I don't want to be away from you any longer... Korra, do you want to come live with me?" comes the sudden question.

Now it's the Avatar's turn to be shocked. Her mouth goes through several different shapes of o's and a's before settling on a meek, "...okay."

And the engineer lights up. "Really?"

And the waterbender can't help but grin widely, a face of joy that Asami fell in love with. "Of course I will! I would like nothing else."

A tear drops from green eyes and Korra's tan fingers rush to wipe it away, encasing a face of many hard edges in her hands. The chin and cheekbones being trailed by the tips of her hands, the front of her knuckles.

"Where do you wanna live?" the engineer asks gingerly, feeling Korra's forehead connect against her own. Her life is dictated by schedules and plans and blueprints, but this one thing she gets to decide with Korra.

"It honestly doesn't matter, just as long as you're with me," The Avatar answers.

Always the simple and eloquent, Asami thinks this of Korra's statement that rings true for them both. When she talks her cheeks move in Korra's palms. "I was thinking of an apartment near the portal."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Instantly the ideas come to her mind. "We'll have to wait to construct it though so we'll live in my mansion first. The building is going to have to be further away since the main island is only ruins now, and it can also serve as Future Industries' new high-rise and offices as well. That way I don't really have to go anywhere for work; I can run the business from our penthouse."

"A p-penthouse?! You are spoiling me, Sato."

"Only the best for my Avatar. Naga can move in with us too, and I know you don't want anything big or fancy, just the view will be amazing. We'll get to see the light from the portal everyday and be reminded of what we're fighting for."

Fearful that her jaw will split from her wide smile, Korra attempts to speak instead. "I love you." Her hug is crushing and her heart is overjoyed.

"I love you, more than you'll ever know," Asami responds, throwing her arms around her girlfriend's neck and they kiss until they bruise or need air. Or both.

As soon as their lungs recover, Korra whistles, calling forth the sound of heavy thumping on fluffy snow, it coming closer and closer over the plains. A magnificent beast appears–the only tame one in existence–and it lets the princess and industrialist climb on.

They ride. Fast. By command of Korra, there is no purpose in wasting any more time. Not that she wants to get this over with but because she cannot wait any longer while her lover looks like that. So incredible. Asami's not even doing anything special, just being... here, with her arms wound tightly around Korra's waist.

Naga pants, resting for a bit after having carried both Asami and Korra, and their backpacks, all the way to and from the palace. The Avatar leads her two companions towards the light between the shrubs. These once dead plants have begun to sprout near the warmth of the Southern Portal, decorating the holy place with life. It's been four years since she opened it.

It's only a few seconds left before the Winter Solstice and the Southern Lights dance above in the sky, which is littered with Spirits who can feel the amorous energy around this duo. They feed off it and desperately want to be part of a love this strong. More and more of them appear as the day in which their worlds are closest together, steadily approaches.

The pair head into the portal hand in hand, gaze firmly locked for this is now a ritual between them. Each time they enter or exit the Spirit World, their eyes will land on and never leave the other's marine and green islands.

Once through, the surreal landscape of jagged rock forming Yin and Yang come into shape, as well as the the Tree of Time that sits in-between both portals.

Once through, the sun in their world dips below the horizon and the moon rises to give power to all people of the water.

It's a tripled rush of power for Korra. Of earthly forces from the moon, of spiritual and cosmic energy as their worlds collide and merge for today and today only, the day before the end of the year. Whatever nervousness she had left in her body is now obliterated with these feelings of absolute and potent raw power. It makes her remember how much bigger the world is than her, and how much of an effect she can have on it.

Korra feels young, like if there was a time before you were born, that's how stupidly fresh she feels. Invigorated and reminded of her influence, Korra attempts to remain calm and even humble because she also recalls her ability to be vulnerable. A literal light is being shone in her face and it's so clear that of course this is meant to happen now. Even the universe is telling Korra to do this.

But not even the universe can compete with how a certain person makes her feel.

After appearing in the spiritual world, Korra whips out, from the backpack, the clock that was given to her. It's face shows midnight, but the seconds aren't moving. She hands it to Asami, asking for her mechanical skills. The woman tinkers with it for a short period. Korra watches Asami watch the watch. It's clearly broken, the engineer concludes, then apologizes that her girlfriend's important gift is faulty, even though it isn't even her fault. This raven-haired woman with fair skin and eyebrows and eye lashes and a face and a body and a personality... Korra fell in love with this, and this woman has found with her eyes on the device something that is out of place. There is a switch that Asami triggers and to her eternal surprise the thing cracks open and now she really feels the need to apologize because a clock is not supposed to open like that, or open at all.

And it definitely should not have a betrothal necklace inside it.

It is a beautiful oblong shape. A crystal prism. Tinted green but still clear, and light. Medium-sized and it hangs off the necklace so you can spin it. It's engraved and decorated. As she tries to take it all in she notices that the shapes amazingly fit _inside_ the three-dimensional space of the transparent mineral. This is something that only the Avatar could make. What Asami sees is... The Yin and Yang at the bottom, blue and red. Its black and white dots have yellow tendrils within them that spiral upwards into the beam of a spirit portal, then they form into Raava herself. At all corners of the crystal are the iconic emblems of all four nations. There is lightning that joins the elements together in an electric bond, and in the center of the whole thing, within Raava, is a cog and a wheel.

Then Asami can look no more through the fog of her tears. She turns around and her breath hitches like so many times with Korra. The Avatar is on one knee, wetness dangerously close to falling over the edge of her azure eyes, but a crooked smile that is the widest.

"Asami Sato... You and I, we've been apart for far too long, and not together long enough. I want to make up for that, with the rest of my life. Will you do me the honor of being mine?"

Asami has one clear thought in her mind.

"Yes!"

And another one. It says that if this is the reward, then she'd do it all again.

So it happened that Korra proposed under the Tree of Time with a broken clock, because no one walks into the world of the spirits to remember time. They go here to forget it ever passed. In the past, Aang used this very same device to propose to Katara, tricking her the same way although not in the Spirit World. Now it is a gift from Avatar to Avatar, and a keepsake from wife to wife. It is henceforth Asami's mission to carry on the tradition.

Master Katara once told Korra the tale of "The Cave of Two Lovers." The green crystals in there only gave light once proof of true love between two souls was given. It served as great inspiration. Every time the Spirit World goes into 'nighttime' for the privacy of the two women, they'll have the glow of the necklace to guide them. A light in the dark.

The newly-engaged power couple settle beneath the timeless tree. They have one large sleeping bag; separate bedrolls are uncomfortable. An Avatar pillow and Sato blanket is not. They shrug off their winter clothing and enjoy the warmth of the Spirit World, enjoy each other.

A month is not a long time. It is exactly short enough. Long enough to share a first kiss, lose your virginity with each other, and get married. Time does not care, so why should they?

There's a bigger reason to why Korra proposed before they went back to the city. Korra is the only Avatar; her past lives are lost. She is completely alone in the worlds, possessing a unique duty and responsibility. It is up to her to uphold balance. And while there is only one Avatar, there is also just one Korra. Then there's only one Asami. Their duties as Avatar and CEO will eat up their time together, but Korra wants to show that she doesn't just belong to the world. She wants to belong, give herself to Asami. And now, eventually, there will be official proof of it. A certificate, with the name _Korra Sato._

This is one thing, among many, that they agree on: Life is too short to be wasted. Why wait? They've been patient enough.

So under the pulsating and purple glow, Asami talks to her fiancee, and for how long they don't know. There's no time to tell.

"This is the best vacation I've ever been on. You even gave me a souvenir that almost outshines the entire trip. That's rare," Asami laughs quietly, toying with the jewel around her neck.

There are non-stop tears coming every now and then, but Korra doesn't mind wiping them away for both of them as long as she can keep laying this close to her soon-to-be-wife. "It'll take me another lifetime to figure out a better surprise," Korra responds.

The women's features are stretched and sore but there's no stopping the joyous grinning and very palpable happiness radiating off the couple. The entire worlds can feel it. During the comfortable silences meant for reveling in yet another new experience, synchronized heartbeats have spirits above dancing to the calm rhythm.

"I'll still be waiting here when you wake up, for the rest of our lives," Korra says, and it's not strange to be saying that. It's the most right thing she's ever done and unmistakably the greatest decision of her life. While Asami drifts off, the Avatar hesitates not to plant kisses on those hard edges that soften in sleep. "You deserve to be loved."

Asami's dreams are blissful.

She's not surprised to find Korra meditating in the tree once she wakes up, feeling very refreshed. Nor is she disappointed. Her rest has been the best since a long time, thanks to her future spouse.

She is surprised however to see herself in the memories projected around the hollow.

They're not of her literally, but she's in the newspapers that Korra is reading while sitting in a wheelchair and petting Naga:

HEIRESS ASAMI SATO REBUILDS REPUBLIC CITY

Her heart lurches as she witnesses the memory of Korra doubling over as if in pain and then cry. Asami knows that this isn't because she was being successful. But Korra told her this: every time she would try to write something, something would stop her. Like that article. Every time she tried to send a letter, she was reminded that everything in that message would only slow down Asami, make the CEO worry needlessly about someone halfway around the world. While people wrote about Asami, Korra could only write about how much pain she was in everyday and how little progress there was, while the heiress fixed broken structures on a daily basis.

Another memory is Korra regrettably discovering an article about herself, six months in on her recovery:

AVATAR KORRA MISSING, DEAD AFTER RED LOTUS?

This was around the time when Korra had tried to take her life, on her birthday. That's what she told Asami. It was all perfect, the exact day when Aang passed away and she was born. Korra's guilt is overwhelming on that day every year, she had said. People tend to forget what happened in the past. She never will. That it was her fault that Aang disappeared. That Aang built Republic City, and then the president tried to banish the new Avatar, Korra, from her city. That she couldn't stop the city from being destroyed.

Throughout all of this, Asami knows what Korra is feeling. Or rather, what she isn't feeling. Her mind travels back to when her then-girlfriend showed her her own memories. Of her parents and them passing away. It was a strange experience, like she was watching it happen, disconnected from the whole thing. Korra can see herself react, but she doesn't feel the pain while remembering. That is the gift of this tree.

Korra will be able to forgive herself.

Asami will never forget her parents. She'll remember how Hiroshi married a woman of Fire Nation descent, grieved over her murder by a firebender, masked his anger at his daughter dating a firebender, how he hated benders and joined Amon, and how he's not alive to see his daughter be engaged to the Avatar.

Asami was able to forgive her father.

Another memory is a most recent one, and it glows the brightest in the tree as if wanting attention. Neither of them will be able, nor want, to forget this moment. The moment is of course when Asami says yes and practically hurdles towards the kneeling Korra, showering her face with kisses. Then they lie on the ground so close together, not wanting to let go, crying like babies. Because it is dangerous to not remember what happened in the past, because if you forget then you'll always make the same mistakes over and over in a never ending cycle. You'll keep doing the same things wrong, and you'll keep doing the same things right, and in the end you'll look back and think of all the times in your life when you were everything and nothing.

And you'd do it all again.

So when Raava, the entity that Korra had tried to reconnect with so long ago right here, says that she is proud of her, Korra actually laughs. Then Asami envelopes her and says the same, over and over again, mixing in "_I love you's" _between breaths. Korra has trouble doing anything in her emotional state or questioning why Asami is awake, so she stumbles out _"Love you too"_ as best she can whenever.

Neither will be able to forget their vacation and the time they spent here. It was nice to remember and heal from their past but as they step out into the human world, they look to the future.

They'll rebuild and fix their city together, because they know that it is more beautiful for having been broken in the first place.


	23. Out Of This World

_Previous chapter:_

**Korra separates herself—the Avatar—from the White Lotus. Then, Katara grants Korra a case—an heirloom. A fake watch to keep a betrothal necklace in that Aang once used to cheekily make Katara his "forever girl." The worlds then collide on the Winter Solstice to symbolize the elopement of Korra and Asami as they enter back into Republic City by its new spirit portal, together as fiancées.**

* * *

_**Out Of This World**_

_Everything is destroyed._

_Kuvira is going to prison._

_I'm not dead._

_I am alive._

_We are alive._

_We survived again._

_I am in control._

_"Korra, you coming?"_

_"..."_

_"No."_

_Most of the people seated in Oogi's saddle peeked over the edge down to the Avatar._

_"I'll follow you later," she said, gaze tracing the spiral which bored through the clouds, instead of meeting green eyes. Yellow light suffused her tired and worn face._

_"...Okay then," Tenzin replied before anyone else could. "Yip yip."_

_In her peripheral she watched the sky bison fly away just in time for her resolve to slowly crumble. Korra's face twisted with tears of woeful anguish, falling without pause. She placed herself alone there on the ground in a cross-legged position in front of the new portal, feeling her shoulders shake whilst wallowing in her self-misery. Her ears picked up nothing but the stillness of the place, a war zone where everything was dead, the silence not speaking of what had occurred here just minutes ago._

_The sun was not yet near peeking up over the horizon when she wiped her reddened cheeks, stood, and walked back into the new spirit portal of which she had inadvertently created. Having let out her pain, the Spirit World glowed instead of crackling thunder upon her, soothing her like it knew what she needed._

_Using her newly found clairvoyant powers, that are infinitely more powerful in this world, Korra touched the ground of the flower fields and let herself be transported to Air Temple Island. There on her bed lay a fitfully asleep heiress with nightmares no doubt about him. How the hand mercilessly squashed Hiroshi Sato, and her unable to do anything but watch from a distance as she gently parachuted down to the ground. Asami woke up in the now, crying unashamedly, trying her best to keep quiet the sobs, suffocating them in the gap between her knees. Korra watched it all happen, floating above. She laid a hand on the shoulder of the girl who had lost everything._

_Somehow Asami felt it. A cold touch from a spirit beyond._

_"Dad?"_

_Just as quickly as it had appeared, the touch vanished and her laments continued to echo into unfeeling, empty space._

* * *

The energy around the crater shifts and the hundreds of spirits nearby can sense it coming from the portal, like a brain sending signals to a nervous system. Just weeks ago this place had been bustling with activity, hundreds of mecha suits circled the area, scavenging the humongous platinum titan, leaving only this hole and the vines and the ruins of a place that is no longer human. It is now the quiet new backyard to the spirits beyond leaving their world for this one.

Transcending from the Spirit World come two people and a beast, followed by a swarm of incandescent, undefinable creatures that are truly beautiful to look at. But these two women pay no attention to the wildlife around them. They only have eyes and hands for each other, the only things that seem to be important in this moment, that connects them and grounds them. It takes effort to peel their eyes away from one another, but once the one dressed in cold colors recognizes that the fluttering flakes from the sky is snow, she pokes the girl in warm colors beside her as if to say: _'look at this, have you seen anything like it?'_, even though they both just came from a place of ice the day before. And Asami would say no, thinking that all these beautiful things they've seen have made them that much more aware and grateful of the worlds around them. She thinks that they are incredibly lucky to have two worlds in their universe, meaning she'd be happy with just one, though, only as long as she is beside Korra.

Just then, her lover turns from the sky toward her, grinning from ear to ear like she can read her mind. They kind of do have telepathic powers, having been around essentially nobody else but each other, that now a shared look between them can speak volumes.

Not much has changed here, though they notice that the crippled and dead metal giant is missing from the pit, leaving it even more empty were it not for all the life around them. It feels like an evil metaphor for Korra, how she lost her legs and now the remains are nowhere to be found. But she is here, alive, exceptionally well and really, really in love with Asami Sato. Everything is different for them, in a wonderful way.

Even though they have left the Spirit World for now, it almost seems as if everything around them still responds to their emotions. Korra and Asami feel bright inside, so it must be shining on their reality. It's too good to be true, to think that this world would be happy as long as they are, but maybe it already always was. They just couldn't see out of the fog.

Finding their way through the Spirit Wilds, they see what used to be a road weaving its way through debris and around spirit vines, Satomobiles parked at its sides crushed beneath rubble. Everything smells fresh and green because of the vines spreading, sprouting up from beneath the cracked asphalt of Asami's roads, ignoring the snow piling on top of it in favor of growing strong. It all makes you want to breathe as much as you can, to feel your lungs expanding, working.

In the background, the endless spiraling beam trails upwards to split the sky. Asami's hand takes the delicately crafted crystal hanging on her necklace and twirls it between her fingers. From now on she'll always carry a little bit of light with her everywhere she goes and she's thankful for being so privileged as to have experienced the best of both worlds.

Everything is alive. They survived all of this and have the whole city to shape, make it the best it has ever been.

Behind them, Naga recklessly bounds straight towards the couple. With a whiff and a whine she begs for attention and receives it from both the girls with a few ruffles of the fluffy fur on her neck and behind her ears. A huge tongue unconsciously lolls out of the beast's mouth and dazed from affection, she doesn't notice the pair moving to climb up on her saddle. The Avatar removes her small green backpack and hangs it on the side of the huge polar bear dog to make room for the girl behind her.

"Yip yip, Naga!" Korra yells once seated comfortably with her gloved hands in homespun reins, the quip earning a laugh from Asami who's arms firmly wrap around her fiancées midsection.

'Yip yip' is not her command, but the animal guide happily takes off anyway towards a place she knows very well.

While riding away from the main island on one of the many large suspension bridges, Korra glances behind her as if it's the last time she'll ever look back. The entire peninsula flourishes with spirits and vines. This is not the same bustling metropolis she came to as a naive teenager, looking to buy food for her companion without any money. The cityscape now includes a spirit portal, one she had somehow made and yet feels no ownership over, and all the bridges lead to another world.

* * *

"This feels familiar," the woman who is older by a year in age, but far older than most, says to Korra—her equal, her other half, her one and only. Asami snuggles up to the firm back in front of her.

"Mmm, I'm not cold this time if you were wondering..." Korra responds lovingly, recalling when she was brought tea by this compassionate woman just a month ago. When the city still stood and things were much more uncertain.

Standing together under the gazebo on Air Temple Island, the couple watch the sun trail ever higher and snow sailing straight into the water below, instantly melting upon touching. White drops, each one completely unique and never repeating the same pattern again, getting lost in sea. A part of the bay freezes under the Avatar's hand to allow some flakes a place to land and remain in their special form for longer.

Life is unfair.

"How can you not be?" Asami enquires, then swipes a finger along her girlfriend's body. "Especially in this."

_'This'_ meaning the red airbender suit that Korra found and desperately wanted to try on. "Ask yourself. Why does one bring hot tea to a born-in-the-south firebender wearing a tank top during fall?"

Asami flushes but finds no reason to defend herself. She got what she wanted, and seeing Korra in one of the suits that she made all those years ago is just a bonus. She bites the lower left half of her lip. _B__lue would be better for Korra._

"No wonder it fits so well, this explains all those drawings of me in your journal," Korra teases. "And you've been working on that thing our whole vacation. What are you planning?"

"Oh I have many ideas," replies Asami.

"Many _brilliant_ ideas," corrects Korra.

A cough gains their attention and there stands Tenzin behind them. "Ahem, excuse me ladies. I thought I'd say one last goodbye before you left."

Korra giggles. "We're not going halfway around the world, Tenzin. I'm just moving in with Asami," she says with a smile on her face.

The Avatar's long time mentor gives her a genuine, almost fatherly smile back. "I remember a woman a long time ago who was brash and impulsive," he says then nods to the necklace around Asami's throat. "I see nothing has changed."

"No," the tribal woman responds. She meets Asami's eyes. "It really hasn't. I just know that there's nobody else I could possibly want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Besides, Korra Sato does have a nice ring to it," Asami replies, eyes and teeth shining.

The short woman chuckles and closes her eyes in content while leaning into the other woman's space, giving a short heartfelt _'yeah'_, which Asami responds to by doing the same and leaning in, and to Tenzin he has never seen two people so in love. The young duo then seem to realize that there is another person in the vicinity and turn to them, slightly panicked.

"Uh, thank you for dinner Tenzin..." says Korra while rubbing her neck, looking up into his gray eyes. "For everything." The next sentence she tosses over her shoulder, already moving towards the docks with her fiancée in tow. "Give Pema and the kids our best! Oh, and make sure Naga comes home!"

"I will, and Korra?" he calls out.

The Avatar—just about to take off with the other adult on her back, who is also carrying their packs—cranes her neck towards the tattooed bald man.

"Take care of yourself," he says, and when it usually was so easy to command the young woman, he finds it is hard to use the authoritative voice on her anymore. Besides, the scene is quite hilarious.

He catches a quick glimpse of her signature lopsided smile, which always tells of daredevil intentions, and he has never been so happy to witness it. A gust of wind signifies his former apprentice's departure into the skies, where the now high standing sun forces him to shield his eyes.

That nothing has changed is just something they hopelessly like to believe because then everything is so much less complicated, familiar, and old. Four years ago Tenzin found the two of them after a seventeen-year-old Korra had just invited Asami to stay on the island and showed the heiress her room. The heiress whom he had personally witnessed grow from a scared six year old girl who just lost her mother, into the cool, collected industry magnate they all know today. It's not like he knew back then, none of them knew what was going to happen in the future. But that anything stayed the same is just an illusion.

* * *

Learning to swim, ride a bike, drive, fly. All of these have one thing in common besides being different transportation methods. Once you learn how to do each of them, you'll never forget how to again. It may feel weird at first if you haven't done that thing in a while but it soon wears off.

Maybe Korra should have test flown the suit on her own first before carrying another person her back. Another person who is currently clinging onto whatever part of Korra's body she can grab onto.

"Don't worry Sami, there's nothing to crash into up here anymore." The Avatar can't keep the slight grin off her face.

Eventually they reach the Sato Mansion, where Sato is a little shaken and more than happy to be back on solid ground. The large house, or more like a castle, seems as empty and large as ever.

"I thought you were used to flying," Korra teases. "What with all your planes and stuff." The bender is suddenly pushed up against the double doors.

"I am, it's just that I didn't really get a chance to hold on to anything," Asami darkly voices into Korra's ear. "I am however what you would call an adrenaline junkie so it was fine, great even," she says as she grabs a handful of Korra's behind through the tight fabric. Her cheeks are rosy from both the weather and other circumstances.

"Ohh...right in the middle of the day?" Korra rasps. "Miss Sato, you vixen," she gets out before crashing their lips together passionately, hands roaming in thick raven hair.

They break apart far too quickly for either woman's liking, heads buzzing and lips swelling. Short and long hair already disheveled, if not from flying.

"Let's continue this inside, where it's a bit _hotter_," Asami suggests, drawing an involuntary moan from her lover which she takes as an agreement.

The doors push aside with the estate owner barging inside, her hand clamped around the accompanying Avatar's wrist. Only she forgot to take into account that Bolin's family still lives here. And, unfortunately, there comes the man himself rounding the corner just in time to see the two lovely ladies before they get the chance to bolt away and handle their unfinished business. The lavabender hollers at them and quickly moves to envelope them in one big hug rather than two separate.

"Korra, Asami! I missed you guys, welcome back!" He steps away then and pauses with widening eyes and stiffening body language. "...Whoa. You two look like you just came out of the fountain of youth."

The girls realize that this will have to wait so they brush their clothes down straight and greet their friend.

"Good to see you too, Bolin," Korra says, then she leans forward a bit because something caught her eye. "Hey! You have a stubble!"

The manly man rubs his now protruding chest proudly. "I know. Isn't it cool?! I can finally stop wearing fake mustaches! Although..." His excitement dies down a little. "Opal doesn't like kissing me when I have a beard."

"Where's Mako?" Asami asks, thinking that he cannot possibly be back at the station already.

"He's around here somewhere," he replies, then his lips turn into a smirk. The girls' eyebrows quirk. "I see the vacation went well."

"Oh, yeah..." the young rambunctious woman turns awkward all of a sudden, scratching her head again. The arm she raised falls and confidently grasps the hand of the more mature woman beside her whom she proposed to, earning another smile. "It did... I'm surprised you're not more surprised?"

"Oh I am, trust me. I'm happy for you and I'm just containing my excitement for your sake since it seems, and I'm only guessing here, that you two were about to go do something?"

They both blush furiously at being called out and a very flustered Asami yells, "Bolin!"

He scampers off laughing through the halls of the manor.

"We have to tell everyone before he does," Asami tells Korra.

The Avatar nods affirmingly and they leave their backpacks at the entrance. Beginning another adventure, they go look for the the family that's possibly scattered throughout the four, more like fifty, corners of the huge building. The investigation goes on for at least an hour before the couple gives up on finding anyone. There wasn't a single soul in the gym, the pool, the library, the dining room, the kitchen, the sauna (yeah, Asami has one of those in her house because of course, why wouldn't she?). Seeking a place to sit, the rich inventor walks into the living room with an Avatar clutching her arm.

"Congratulations!" comes a shout that startle the women.

They don't give much more of a reaction and just accept that the burly man, who is carrying a bottle in one hand and has an arm around Opal, most likely already told everyone who are gathered here.

Varrick and Zhu Li look happily married as if they've been that way already for twenty years.

Mako's here, and acting awkward again with slight movements of the arm that resemble some sort of wave.

All of the brothers' cousins and relatives take up the rest of the large space and Asami once more wonders, like she often has ever since the family moved in, how she and her parents ever could have used all this room by themselves.

They're all smiling genuinely, wearing festive red hats for the Year of the Dragon, and the billionaire feels very welcome in her own home.

"Yeah, who would've guessed?" Tu adds.

Suddenly discussion comes alive and people are giving their opinions, asking what they thought, if they saw it coming, arguing that they could see it from a mile away, and soon it's full-on party atmosphere in the lounge.

* * *

He finds her on the balcony, overlooking the destruction, under stars now visible without all the lights of the city. The skyline only illuminated by the great shining ray of the dome-like spirit portal, never stopping its ascent into space and beyond. Puffs of cold air reveal her calm breaths.

She turns around with her blue eyes shimmering brilliantly through the thick of the dark. "Sami?"

"No, it's me."

"Ah," she says and smiles. "Hey, Mako."

The detective approaches the Avatar's side to lean against the marble railing, his arm finally free of the sling and of any scars thanks to healers. "Sooo..."

A glint in her eye and the rise of one side of her lips tells him to loosen up. "Please don't tell me you're gonna be all stiff around me and Asami again."

He laughs. "No, no. I'll try not to... Listen," his tone catches her attention. "I'm sorry for ever being mad at you. You know, about not writing back?" he clarifies when nothing registered in Korra's face.

"Uhuh. Yeah, I'm sorry about that too. I just—" she begins and he can't stand seeing that dejected look on her face anymore so he cuts her off. She's gone through enough pain for one lifetime.

"Didn't know what to say. I know." She looks up at him, so he continues. "I get it now how much pressure you had on you, still have, to live up to everyone's expectations. I mean what would you have told me?" Mako says, slightly raising his voice, growing angrier at...himself? "That you were in pain every day? How alone you must have felt?" He scoffs. "Yeah, that would've been great reading material."

His breathing is slightly more rapid and clouds the air in front of him when the feeling of her hand on his upper back wills him to calm down.

"I'm sorry." His voice doesn't sound like his own. "I'm sorry I didn't realize that everything isn't about me. We really missed you, thanks for coming back."

The firebender grimaces with conflicting emotion. He came here to say he's sorry, and ended up feeling more guilty than he started out. The water tribe girl seemingly recognizes his turmoil and keeps comforting him. Her strong voice cuts through his doubt.

"Of course, I had to. And if there's one thing I've learned over these years is that it's never _'us against them'_. We all have our differences, we just need to learn to stick together. It's important that you learn to forgive yourself."

He marvels at her wisdom, her matured character, her leadership. All of these traits more potent in this woman after so much experience, and he finds himself in more awe than ever of the Avatar. So much so that he becomes slightly intimidated of even knowing, being close to this person, who, just by meeting, changed his life both when she came into it and when she left.

"I'll always have your back," he states, as confidently as he can.

"And we'll have yours," comes a different voice. Also strong like someone who is the head above many people, but gentle and disarming. Serious, but not like his own, one that people would actually listen to.

Another pair of lithe fingers slip behind him to pat his uniform almost soothingly. Asami's ruby lips widen into a reassuring smile, and right below her chin and under her collar is a red ribbon with the most exquisite jewelry in all the four nations. There's no mistaking who it's from. She's betrothed to Korra.

And with that reminder he returns the girls' smiles with his own genuine one and backs away to give them their space, which won't be difficult in the huge mansion, which Asami just offered to his family. "You know, there were only a few people who really didn't think there was anything going on between you. And know that I'm not lying when I say it doesn't take a detective to see that what you have is something special. I really can't think of anyone else who deserves you two more than...you two."

"Thank you, Mako. That means a lot," his friends, who are also extraordinary prodigies, says.

"I should be thanking you," the former bodyguard says, and between the three of them it's just like old times. Although, not at all.

* * *

"That was some party, huh?" Asami converses while dabbing her face with a wet cloth.

"You can say that again," Korra answers her girlfriend. "Bolin and Varrick can not allowed to be in charge next New Year. I get that we need fireworks but that many, really? Thank goodness for Zhu Li and Opal."

She changes out of her usual clothes for the night, placing them in the hamper near the bedroom door. One of the benefits of dating a girl is that she can wear some of Asami's clothes, most of which are expensive or fancy in some way. And one of the disadvantages is that they cannot do laundry together without mixing up the colors. There are definitely worse problems, which is weird for Korra. There is always something threatening at the edge of dawn, but right now there is nothing.

Korra's brought out of her thoughts by the corner of her vision where she sees Asami moving to a glass cabinet and opening it.

"You want a drink?" she calls from the outside room.

Korra freezes up momentarily. Cold sweat swiftly appearing on her hands and on her forehead. "Uhh... No thanks!"

"...Whew!" comes Asami's relieved reply when she gingerly shuts the fragile door and walks back into the bedroom. "Didn't think you drank but now I know for sure."

"You don't drink either?" she says, visibly letting go of the tension in her body.

"No."

"Then why do you have-"

"It was my dad's."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I promised I'd talk to you about everything. He drank a lot when mom died."

Korra moves to envelop her lover in a hug. Her gut feeling pulling her in all sorts of directions. Should she say something back?

"Why don't you drink?" Asami asks into Korra's shoulder.

"What?" is the muffled response.

"Why do you not drink?" she pulls away, looking into the southern girl's eyes fondly and squeezing her bicep.

"Oh, I... Alcohol isn't good for you, right? I mean, you saw Bo and..."

"No, it isn't. Not if you have too much of it."

"Right. Well, I just don't want to...at all. It feels like I would be poisoning myself."

"Mm," the older woman hums. "I'm glad we can communicate like this."

"Me too," the younger woman says. "Happy New Year, sweetheart."

Azure orbs look at the well-known features of the former heiress. Well-known because this woman is famous and her painted lips and shadowed purple eyes are everywhere. Korra is the only one who gets to see this person in the flesh, see her naked without colors. Natural and completely open to her eyes.

Home is something Korra has been looking for in all the places she's been and everywhere she has yet to go. All the areas and spaces and spots she's lived in are only just that, a place where she slept for the night and nothing more than a memory. But she has found a home here in Asami's arms, and so long as they're there for her to creep into and shield away from the world for a night and let her insecurities out, be human for a while, it doesn't matter where they move or where they go. It will be home, and she's never leaving or letting go of Asami Sato.

All the words she can't say she will try and express in the best way she knows how—physically. Korra begins by placing a gentle, grateful, reverent kiss on her girl's clavicle, and she hears the wry smile in the response she gets: "I'll never get used to this."

* * *

Two shapely legs sift through the silky blue blankets of a large bed, seeking those cold panels of the floor. Fine fingers reach for a robe that gets pulled across her curvy figure, suffusing the woman with cozy warmth. Korra lies spread out on the bed, one leg sticking out of the sheets. It gives Asami simple pleasure to get to see her lover like this. Korra, in the most intimate and vulnerable of places, where both she and her can find refuge from being a part of the world's elite.

Though it never escapes her mind that it just so happens that what she loves to do can also be done as a job, and it's something that many people need (or at least want). Without people, without demand, she would not be so very special at all, and at times when things are the most hectic and life-threatening, maybe that isn't so bad. To live in a universe where Korra isn't a desired target seen as something that needs to be taken off the face of the earth, just because she can bend all of nature to her will, and where Asami isn't pressured to be a perfect person that's the face of the most successful company in the world. But Asami isn't letting Korra go for as long as she is a Sato and in charge of Future Industries, for she needs Korra like she needs water and air, and all the Zaheers and Kuviras will have to take the Avatar from her cold dead hands.

Three horrid years.

Stacks of letters gone unread.

Now the remorse is shame.

So Asami will try to atone for ignoring him and finally listen, hear what Hiroshi has to say for himself. Not because she was ever wrong for not doing so in the first place, her dad had done so much wrong. But time heals all wounds, until they can be reopened again.

Life is unfair.

With shaky fingers she pulls out the drawer of her desk as quietly as possible. Therein lie all the neglected envelopes from her deceased father, untouched and still in pristine quality—as pristine as you can get when sending the letters from prison. Not enough near-death experiences will ever prepare her for opening these, so she might as well rip open the wounds right now.

And what she finds...

While Asami always favors knowledge, she really can't help but think it would've been best to just burn the letters while she still had the chance. It would've been better for her not to know that her father was diagnosed with a terminal illness and only had another year left.

Asami rushes to the bathroom and throws up.

She doesn't want this anymore, she thought it was over.

He lost so much weight in prison, now it all makes sense. Nobody grows so old in only three years. No one goes from being a jolly single-parent to a skinny gray-haired man with time running out and nothing to live for but his daughter. His daughter, who didn't even want to see him again.

The guilt eats her up from the inside. She gags and her stomach retches. All the food she ate during the party now floats in the toilet bowl. Another heave and her chest aches with the short-burst panting. A hand suddenly moves her hair away from her face and she sees Korra. Beautiful, lovely, concerned Korra.

When eventually her stomach is empty, Korra gives her some water which she gulps down to get rid of the foul taste stuck to her tongue. It burns her nostrils and teary red eyes, threatening to toss her back on the ground and force her to dry heave.

"Thanks," Asami says, and Korra's hand stroking up and down is the most comforting thing in the world right now. She takes another sip.

When done she places her glass on the sink and just stands there, with Korra still massaging, eyes closed and silent. The tears come very easily. No sobbing or frantic breathing. Just quiet crying in the dead of the night. It's always so easy to lose yourself in the darkness, Korra knows this, but this time she's here to pick Asami up and be there for her in the black void she never could pull herself out of.

She shares the pain as best she can, when finally the crying orphan falls asleep. She tried to stay strong for Asami, but nobody's watching now so the water begins to gather in her eyes but never falls. They're just there, in her vision, blurring everything. And they feel so heavy that if Korra blinked, then they would drop. She could have done something to prevent this from ever happening, not exactly for Hiroshi, but for his only child. Everyone gets taken away from Asami, her mom and now her dad. And damn it, Korra's gonna be the one to break that evil spell.

_Why her?_

That question bounces around in her head, plaguing her with the frustrating lack of answers, keeping her from finding any rest. Not until she has to flinch from the morning making its daily intrusion into Asami's room does Korra realize she's spent another night awake since when they fought Kuvira.

She turns her head at the sound of a sigh. It's her girlfriend of course, staring back and looking very worried.

"You didn't sleep," she says, more of a statement than a question. Asami sees Korra's bloodshot eyes before she has a chance to cover up. "Talk to me," she demands firmly and gently.

"Sometimes I worry that I'm not good enough for you," she answers, and the last thing Korra expects Asami to do is laugh, but here she is. Doing exactly that, very softly and very cutely.

"You and me both, babe," she smiles gleefully and kisses her. "I love you and all that you are, no matter if you can bend or not bend, are spiritual or not, if you're rich or have nothing, I still am so lucky to have you."

"I hate to steal your line but... You and me both, baby."

"I love waking up in your arms, but please go to sleep next time."

"Okay."

"You're all I have left."

* * *

It's finally time to say goodbye. Many times in her short life has Asami Sato had to do that. To her mother when she was six, to Korra when she was nineteen, and now to Hiroshi when she's twenty-two.

It's the most ironic lesson she's learned in her life. Life destroys.

Bowing down in front of his grave, she places the flowers upon the pile of dirt that's supposed to give the illusion that someone, something, is buried here, next to Yasuko's stone. Her parents were born five years apart—her mother the younger one—and Asami lived without her for most of her childhood. She wouldn't remember what her mom looked like if it weren't for family photos. Now if she were to take one, there would be two empty spaces next to her shoulders because for some reason it only now hits her that they're both gone, forever. There's no point in holding back anymore, and she lets those shoulders shake.

In the midst of her grief, she notices a shining under her chin. The crystal on her necklace is glowing. For now Asami can't be bothered to analyze why, it just is. Because one person did return to her. Gave her a family of broken souls, of airbenders, of Beifongs, of royals, and a Team Avatar of orphans, all of them who love each other.

In her new family photo there would be two empty spaces by her shoulders, and a hundred new filled ones, and one special spot right next to her reserved for that special someone.

The graveyard is a wonderful place and her parents will be well taken care of. She'll make sure to visit and say hello to the spirits idling around, guarding.

"Let's go," she rises and tells the blue-eyed woman who's stood within an arm's reach. They take each other's hands and Asami's carefully led out of the cemetery.

Black is definitely not Korra's color.

* * *

"You have visitors, Kuvira."

* * *

"Can you cut my hair?"

"How short?" the woman with inky black locks asks.

"I don't want to have to use a brush...or a knife."

* * *

"What is that?!"

"My Future Industries patented vacuum cleaner!"

Asami turns the machine on and it emits the loudest noise ever heard in history, making Naga and Korra yelp and run away, fearing the invention will explode in any second.

* * *

"See it as a wedding gift."

"This is for me?"

"All of it, I want you to have it. I imagined you driving the thing many times while building it when you were...away." For just a moment Asami becomes pensive, attempting to right herself by trying to make a joke and smile coyly with one side of her lips. "Thought you'd enjoy the roofless, aqua-marine, all-terrain model."

But Korra sees through it, right to the bottom, and she looks up with nothing to say but, "Thank you, love. It's perfect."

* * *

"Alright. Since you taught me how to drive and tinker with cars, I'm gonna return the favor and teach you how to meditate!"

"Seems pretty easy to me," the nonbender shrugs. "Whenever I watch you it seems like all you do is sit and breathe."

"You got the basics down," Korra winks. "And you're a lot more patient than me so this should only take an afternoon."

* * *

"Sami, this place is huge! How... What?"

"I wanted to spoil you and you deserve the best," the architect says, flattered by Korra's unguarded reaction. She was worried her fiancée wouldn't like it, but that was apparently unnecessary worrying. She has a girlfriend who loves her to bits, and the proof is right here. "We have our own place now," she finishes, almost as giddy as the woman who's energy is as contagious as any disease.

"Is there anything you can't build?" the waterbender challenges, arching a brow.

"Ask me and I'd do anything for you."

Korra looks surprised, as if the former heiress' remark was a new discovery. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Asami replies, tilting her head a little, unable to hold in her fondness for this person who holds her whole heart in the palm of their hand.

* * *

While the couple is in the middle of their new morning routine—meditation at sunrise on the roof of their penthouse apartment—Asami gets up and places herself in Korra's lap. The Avatar slowly cracks one eyelid open and is very confused for a moment before her eyes get blown wide into saucers when she sees what her fiancée is dangling in front of her.

"I know about your traditions, Korra. Technically I am supposed to give you the betrothal necklace," Asami says with a fond expression. "Just because you're marrying another woman doesn't mean you'll be exempt from what every other girl in the water tribes gets."

Korra unavoidably bursts into tears when the choker that is a beautiful aqua gets fastened around her neck by the hands of her beloved. The brilliant engineer figured she couldn't give her girl a pendant-type necklace like Korra did as it would be impractical for the Avatar, and instead there is a sapphire to mirror her own green crystal. Everyone will know who it's from, whom they've both laid claim on.

"Now you belong to me too."

But the tears don't stop for Korra, and Asami's getting a little worried when she herself has started to calm down but sees no sign of stopping for her fiancée. She lets her fingers tilt the chin of the tribal girl and her blue eyes are so clear it's like looking at a cloudless sky when it's still raining.

"I'm sorry," she snivels. "You're wrong though. There are some things I won't get that every other water tribe woman gets...things that you won't get."

"What do you mean?" Asami's heart is pounding at having seen Korra go from being completely happy to utterly sad at a moments notice.

"Kids."

Asami's eyes go as wide as Korra's had when she showed her the necklace. Then she recovers and all of it makes a lot more sense now. "Korra, I know that. There are still other ways to have children."

"S—So...y-you're not freaked out?"

"Of course not," and the smile she had on is back again, to reassure her soon-to-be-wife. "I do want a family with you one day."

"But—Aren't you sad you won't carry on the... the bloodline?" Korra says with no small amount of hesitation and uncharacteristic fragility in her voice. Something she can only display here, in their home.

"That never mattered to me anyway," the businesswoman says with certainty in her voice. "Besides, if I really wanted to make someone my heir, we could try insemination?"

It takes a while before Korra replies. When she does it's a mess but Asami allows her to finish what she's trying to say or else Korra may never say what she's about to say ever again.

"I am together with another girl—uhh...you are too, and that means that neither of us has to worry about getting pregnant, you know? And, um..." after much stuttering and stalling, Korra eventually visibly deflates and sighs with finality. "I didn't have to worry about that before anyway. Getting pregnant."

"That's... What are you trying to say, Korra?"

"I'm sterile."

Her hand flies up to cover her down-turning mouth, eyebrows scrunching up in pity for the first time in full view of Korra, because Korra hates pity. But now the twenty-one-year-old woman seems to accept it, either because it's her lover feeling pity for her, or because there's nothing she can do to heal this.

Asami speaks underneath her palm. "I am so sorry, Korra."

"It's fine..." she says, tired. "In the time I was away, my thoughts were never on anyone else but you whenever I thought about a partner. So not being able to have kids biologically related to me was not really a concern, and birthing is really painful anyway so I felt like I didn't really need more of that in my life. My biggest worry was always if you would accept me." At that last part Korra's voice turns solemn. "I didn't think that I'd be able to have a family at all when I was...handicapped. That I'd get to be happy again one day, that it was all over for me. But just thinking of you, rejection or not..." Asami shakes her head vehemently when Korra speaks. "You saved my life."

"I hate him!" Asami says into the short pointy fibers of Korra's hair and embraces her possessively. "How could he do such a cruel thing to an eighteen-year-old girl, to a teenager! To you..."

"I already said," Korra begins and hugs back, her face tucked into Asami's chest. Hugs _her_ Asami. "It's fine."

Being in a relationship with the youngest industry leading CEO in the world has proven to be the most emotionally fulfilling experience of the Avatar's young life. Being loved by someone else who loves you just as much is truly the most satisfying and purest feeling of joy. They can both go from extremely happy to extremely sad and then back in the blink of an eye. Living together has warranted no lifestyle changes for either of them and the only changes have been for the better. Instead of Asami coming home alone, Korra's there to fill the void and listen to her day, give a back-rub maybe. She's found herself looking forward to the end of the day instead of looking forward to work. Sometimes they go out, and Korra's a very physical person so that translates into everything she does. Her partner is very affectionate and never bothers to hide it, not even in public. Secretly Asami enjoys the jealous attention of other people, and especially the attention from Korra herself. Newspapers didn't hesitate on labeling them the 'Power Couple of the Century', which friends and family have then gone on to say is not even sensationalist. They are, in the media's words, the biggest catches in the city who are also engaged to each other, before any of their friends who have also been in relationships for much longer. It's a conceited, guilty pleasure-type thought that Asami has been having (that no one will like her for which she couldn't care less about because she's got the girl and she's not going anywhere), that neither she or Korra can really 'marry up', so it only makes sense the most powerful and influential people in the world should get together with each other.

Asami and Korra are attracted to each other in every way possible; emotionally, physically, spiritually. Completely aware of their own and the other's flaws. Of the world they live in. In other words they are shattered, imperfect people, perfect for each other.

* * *

As they walk down the aisle together,

arm in arm,

with Master Tenzin officiating,

Chief Tonraq and Senna seeing both brides to the altar,

they wear flowing white dresses,

and bright smiles with wide cheeks,

standing together like they did at the portal.

Crying heard throughout those attending,

not one tear canal remains dry.

And the vows are spoken,

everyone holds their breath,

as those two words leave their mouths.

"I do."

Then a deep voice echoes in the temple.

"You may kiss the bride."

The hall stands in ovation,

cheers and catcalling from Bolin,

two women in love being answered by rejoicing and jubilation.

Their love expands beyond just them,

it means the world.

* * *

_"People of Republic City, today you are witnessing history being made. The first television broadcast ever is happening right now and we are joined by its inventor, the magnificent Future Industries CEO Asami Sato, and the legendary Avatar Korra Sato. Lady Asami, please, tell us about these new inventions you and your wife have been working on."_

_"Thank you, I will, gladly. This 'collection' of revolutionary machinery, by us and our team at research and development, have been designing new solutions for a more sustainable future. We aim to rid the world of pollution and plan on doing so by using these new machines. The first one we've made is a fan-like structure to be used in conjunction with air flows. Avatar Korra helped me with all of these and she suggested that with all the natural resources in the world, why not also use the elements themselves as a renewable energy source?"_

"_Ah, I see, very clever. And the Avatar is really the only one who could help you test this, am I right? Well, we're all very curious now. What about the other elements?"_

_"I'm glad you asked. First of all we will be continuing our partnership with 'Blackstone &amp; Moon' where the CEO and CFO, Varrick and Zhu Li, will help us distribute these apparatus all over the world, especially in poorer regions for free."_

_"Of course, I forgot to mention that. That is incredibly generous of you."_

_"It's nothing really and, to be honest, after helping build most of New Republic City and creating jobs for unemployed I have more money than I know what to do with. I don't really need any more and am only trying to do what's right. Besides, I already have everything I want right here by my side."_

_"Aww, that's sweet."_

_"The second invention is a water turbine that can be utilized by benders as much as the air one, but will also be placed in dams instead of high up like the air turbines. The third makes use of firbenders and is just an improvement of the power plants that were already present in Republic City."_

_"Does that mean you can lightningbend Avatar Korra?"_

_"I did learn how to, yes. During our vacation to the Spirit World. It's very handy and can be used for more than just destruction, as we've shown."_

_"Alright, that leaves earth. What have you come up with there?"_

_"In earthbending we only have a prototype that makes use of the very rare ability of lavabending to generate geothermal energy, but it isn't anywhere near safe yet or ready for demonstration. Same thing goes for our patented solar panels. The Fire Nation remains very interested in these technological endeavors."_

_"Yes, many exciting things going on at Future Industries. Did you want to talk about your other projects as well that also include your partnership with the 'Blackstone &amp; Moon' company?"_

_"Yes. There are some secret projects, but the main ones are that we're in the planning stages for a few orphanages that will accommodate those many unfortunate children who lost their families at the hand of Kuvira. We will also be donating several thousand wheelchairs and prosthetics to hospitals, and keep providing food to homeless shelters."_

_"You two do a lot of good for this world and we all owe you our many thanks. We wish you all the best for the future."_

* * *

"There's an Avatar parade?! I'm not going!"

"Korra, you have to. It's your parade," Mako insists.

"But I didn't do it all by myself! You guys were there too!" Korra says, exasperated.

"We know, Korra. We don't mind," Bolin tries.

"But I do..." she pouts.

"And we appreciate it," Asami says, "but we all think you should be there. People have been unjust towards you and blaming you for their problems ever since you first stepped foot in the city. You deserve to be praised for once. While we helped you, it was still you who came back to us and saved the city."

"If not for yourself, do it for the people," Mako adds.

Korra sniffles a bit, then sighs in resignation as her friends come to embrace her. "I don't believe all that, but thanks guys."

* * *

"The pixie cut really suits you!" Opal gushes.

"Thanks," comes the bashful answer. Korra subconsciously runs a hand through her choppy strands.

"Come on, don't embarrass my wife anymore," Asami says and hooks her arm with Korra's and thinks, _Gosh, wife... I can actually say that. _And by the looks of Korra's even redder face she's thinking the same thing, the dimples in her cheeks going deeper every time because she smiles almost constantly nowadays. "Let's go shopping."

"Yes! I can't wait to see Korra in heels." Bolin nudges the Avatar to which she lightly scowls.

"Can't believe I'm doing this..."

The newest airbending master talks around her boyfriend, "You haven't gone shopping a day in your life. You're missing out."

"So you thought the best way to amend that is to bring us on a double date to Little Ba Sing Se."

"Yep." The airbender laughs as Korra groans, the light-blue arrow on Opal's forehead creasing lightly with her skin. "Don't worry, we're taking you to a probending match later."

The four of them walk around the city for a while, taking in how it looks now. There are no vines since they expanded the city into 'uninfested grounds' as Raiko put it. People meander about, many casting glances at the newlyweds as they pass. Asami internally sighs. _Right, this is still kind of...rare. _Then she smiles again anyways because she can't help it when seeing the girl who proudly took her family name.

Thankfully their friends aren't as annoyed by the attention as they are, and after the twentieth discount offered by another one of the grateful shop owners, enough is enough. She means that it's great that people like them, like Korra, but she has money and can pay for herself. It's silly. So she offers they go to the park instead.

Beneath the stately new statue of the Avatar, Korra attempts to keep up with the genius billionaire in a game of Pai Sho on that peaceful spring day.

Later on in the evening they go watch a mover and laugh at Nuktuk's horrible acting skills and the 'revolutionary' special effects. Then Korra cries out when 'Prince Wu' rescues 'Princess Korra', mumbling angrily to Asami when calmed down, something about: "...that's not exactly how I remember it going."

Things have never been so normal.

* * *

Living near the portal was a great decision. It would forever remind them of their love for each other (as if they'd forget), the experiences they've shared both near and far, and neither saw it right to restrict access to the Spirit Portal. They hoped that the bridge to another world would one day give someone else as many great memories as it had for them.

Today Ambassador Zuko went on a trip to the land of the spirits to see a dragon.

* * *

Korra never did learn to hide her emotions well, always wearing them as exposed as her broad shoulders. Her reaction is exactly the one Asami expected. Healthy fear, and a bit of worry.

"I know it's kind of scary but I promise I would never use it on anyone who didn't deserve it," the inventor says as she retracts the smoking platinum cables back into her glove.

"No it's fine," the Avatar gulps loudly. Asami loves Korra's inability to lie, it makes her that much more endearing and it's also a breath of fresh air in contrast to some of the dishonesty going on in diplomatic meetings. "I know you won't use it against someone unless you had to. I trust you."

"No one but me is going to have access to these weapons, it's only for self-defense."

"Of course," Korra says, still slightly nervous. "What else did you have?"

Asami hurries to the table so she can relieve them soon of the uncomfortable atmosphere, and seeing her wife's fingers fidget is not really helping with the next thing she's about to show.

"I was inspired by the spirit cannon." _There's the wince I expected._ "Don't worry, it doesn't use vine energy."

"Okay, so what do you call it?"

"This, is a gun."

* * *

It's only them on the tarmac now. Pulling on the thick body in her arms, she attempts to get closer when they're about to go apart. The pilot motions for takeoff in a minute and enters the plane.

"Hey," Asami speaks softly. She leans down to press a kiss to her love's temple. "Don't cry. You'll be back soon. Make sure to help Wu with whatever he needs so you can come home, then we'll go on our honeymoon."

"I wish you could come with us this time too." Korra absentmindedly touches her necklace. Asami's heart swells and feels like it's going to burst at the gesture, since she knows that everything her Avatar does is real. No amount of time together will ever be enough to make her get used to this feeling of being loved by Korra.

"So do I, sweetie. But when we've missed each other the reunion will be so much sweeter."

Korra chuckles. "That's true."

* * *

They're back where they started again and she's being led by the hand somewhere new, she's being laid down on the grass, she's being kissed by her, her tongue plays around in her mouth, her clothes are ripped off while she takes her time. Which one of them? She doesn't know. All she's aware of is that it feels good.

She scrapes her fingers on that smooth skin of hers. Marking by biting, sucking, nipping, tugging, pulling, licking. They've done this a hundred times, and a hundred times too few.

Without their clothes on they're nothing but lust-filled women hungry for each other. They are no one, not this person or that person, just one girl and her companion. And they're about to devour each other.

One of them takes their time which frustrates the other. _This is taking too long._

She doesn't voice her opinion though, those lips are too enticing to let go of for even a second. Those hands are too mind-blowing, those hips are too alluring, those curves are too torturous to not reach out for. These ebony locks are so enjoyable to have spilling out from between your fingers when you place a hand on her head. These short chestnut tresses are so _wild_ and untamed that you can't help but roughly mess them up, and when you do her eyes are darker than you've ever seen them and they're staring right at you.

Her skin is wet and sweaty and _hot,_ and prickles when caressed. She's dark and harsh like the coffee she drinks every morning and it reminds her of almonds. The figure in front of her shines and is the picture of utter perfection. Lily-white skin, satin-like to the touch, when licked it shudders, and moans when kissed right _here_...

Soon she regrets her decision on taking it slow, but her lover is already there to take care of her. She spreads her legs as the bronze beauty takes her deeply to the core, right from the start. It's soulful and invigorating. She cries out since nothing can hear her, no one but the woman furiously licking at her crotch right now. Just as she shouts, a mouth closes down on her clit, focusing all their attention on her most sensitive spot. She positively _scream__s_ and her jaws struggle to stay closed, her hand shooting up to cover the pitiful whimpers as she breathes hard through her nose. Her heart is thundering in her chest and she drools a little bit out of the corner of her mouth, her blissful sighs of passion being uttered each time the warm thick tongue brushes across her womanhood. The assault is relentless and her body is trembling from the focused stimulation, she feels her insides throbbing as the girl continues to lap savagely at her lips and nub. Her hand shakes as it is removed from her mouth. The palm is wet from her breath and saliva, but she can't stop the gasping and grunting from escaping her lungs as she gets closer. Her stomach feels like it's being ripped apart and all that's left is heat, ceaseless, constant heat, and an unquenchable desire to relieve herself. Her pelvis is thrusting to meet her body's insatiable demands, squirming and fidgeting to find release to this unrelenting fire welling within. It's so intense when a whole tongue is used to stroke her whole length that she immediately cums, with erratic movements finding no edge to hang on or ledge to fall off of. Her fingers are pumping still and she's in a nonstop high where everything is moving and there's a brief sensation of having to pee. She feels her inner walls sucking up those fingers deeper, shivering around them before she slowly arrives back on earth, the aftershocks making it difficult to move her tongue.

"H-holy shit," says Asami, and tilts her head up to see an Avatar with a glistening face who's smugly licking off her fingers with that skillful tongue running up the length of her wonderful fingers. "You made me squirt."

"I made you swear," says Korra, and Asami's heart flutters when there's a _pop_ as Korra finishes sucking off her digits.

They're looking at each other now. Hooded eyes, beating chests, a faint quivering that goes deep to the bone, flushed faces, and they're nobody again. She's _going_ to take her time. Make it the best she's ever had, and she begins by taking a dusky nipple between her lips and brushing over it with her tongue. The girl is already quietly moaning, not sharing the same restraints, but also not vocalizing higher because there's a lack of pressure that she's unwilling to give. She's just there on top of everything that's normal and usual with her body, but giving wonderful sensations. It's not enough though, there needs to be _pressure_, and she's not gonna get it.

She shifts, moving, slithering if you will, down, but taking so much time. Every muscle that's visible has to be kissed, so they're gonna be here for a while, which is why she uses her hands to grab onto the cheeks of the woman below and demand a wide and sloppy kiss, full of desire so the woman will know what she already knows. Her wrists are suddenly grabbed onto and forced above her head and now she has a face full of perky breast which she doesn't hesitate to doing her thing with. Again there is that shudder that follows through her entire white body and it's so captivating she nearly misses her hands being captured above her head.

"Hey, what's going on!"

"Don't move, or else this will take forever."

Korra watches as her lover recedes back across her body, starting over again by kissing each and every one of her abdominal muscles, then her hipbones, as casually as possible, and she groans while throwing her head back, unable to do anything but watch. So she does that. It's Asami after all, she doesn't mind seeing that for forever.

Getting back slowly to where she were, she looks up to see the girl entranced and their eyes lock for that moment where she forgets where she is, then she remembers what she has to do. So she gets back to work, or rather pleasure, and now she has all of Korra to herself without interruptions. _Yeah,_ she's definitely gonna take her time.

Soon both forget about time altogether, it's such a useless concept really since not even the Spirit World bothers to keep track of it.

In here, you can't feel hunger, and all you have is your emotions being projected.

So when Asami reaches her goal, the surroundings turn dark purple saying to anyone who might be nearby, _no, you should not be here._

She's completely open to her. Her lips are petaled open and the pink flesh is open for her touch, but she touches it only with a finger on the wet, warm, velvety labia. Even though it's only on the surface, Korra grits her teeth and groans. She's been tortured for so long already that even the slightest touch might send her flying. That it does indeed, Asami discovers as she inserts her index finger halfway into slickness and Korra's breath hitches in surprise. Some fluid drips out of her already soaked core and onto the hand currently inside of her. She wiggles her finger playfully and the woman being manipulated squirms uncomfortably, her eyes squeezing tightly shut in painful pleasure. She grabs onto the thick brown thighs of her lover, spreading them wider as they attempt to close down in order to keep the finger within.

"P-please!"

She's panting now and her musky scent is absolutely intoxicating, so Asami practically drills her with everything she's got and Korra is _shrieking_. Her heart is thudding heavily against her ribs as a milky hand shoots up to cover her right breast where it's trying to escape out of her chest. She's getting what she wanted but it's going to be over far too quickly and there's nothing she can do to help it but continue screaming until her throat is raw from skipping up an octave. She's never had foreplay this long, that wasn't needed, and she's never come so fast in her life...but then. It stops. Right as she stands on the precipice, ready to take a leap, Asami stops. Her back falls from it arched position and she glances down between her legs to find a smirking woman with gorgeous green eyes, that's taking her orgasm away from her. Asami twitches her single finger inside and Korra hisses and throws her head back. She can almost cum by a single touch now, and Asami is waiting until she thaws back, then she curls her finger again and Korra's almost cumming again.

It goes on like this for so long that her head is spinning and she can't control the non-stop trembling and she's sweating all over her body. Asami (she found a pair of glasses in the bag and it's making her _irresistible_) is still there between her thighs and have moved to the even worse, licking and sucking on her clit while stimulating her g-spot with three fingers. She's pretty sure she's dry inside and can't get any more moist, any more sensitive, any more swollen. But each time Asami proves that wrong with some quick movements and blissful friction, which make her wail every time, and soon she's a slobbering, mumbling, incoherent mess, before Asami inevitably halts. She wants to come. She _needs_ to come.

"What's that, sweetie?" Asami coos with a coy smile, her fingers lightly pushing in, causing Korra to stutter and her body to quake.

"I—ah... I, I, I, p-please...l-let m-e come...!"

"...Alright, I think you've earned it," Asami purrs and gives Korra no reaction time to prepare before she dives in.

If Korra thought she couldn't speak, and she certainly could because she just begged, she most certainly cannot anymore for she must have lost whatever was lost of her voice. All that can be heard is the slick noises coming from her drowning slit that's being practically pounded by Asami, her silent moaning and gasping, which is all she can really do at this point.

The warmth was overwhelming since the start but now Korra sees stars because it's finally time and she'll get her release. Her lover is ruthless and gives away all the pressure she craved from the beginning, and instead of being held off from diving into the abyss she's granted full access and she takes no readying steps back but instead plunges in head first. There's a final, long and hoarse scream of ecstasy that Asami finds is the sexiest sound she's ever heard as Korra cries out her undying pleasure and everything goes black.

Couching and sputtering, her torso flies up off the ground to fend off whatever threat just struck her with water, however it was only Asami with a cup she used to splash her awake. With her short hair dripping and sticking to her forehead, she looks through her bangs at her lover with a mouth wide open.

"You—you made me pass out."

"I'm one of kind," Asami smiles gently, a caring expression adoring her face. Then Korra realizes they're both still naked.

"Wanna take," she swallows, "a break?" Her heart still beats with the force of fifty horse-rhinos, and judging by the exquisitely flushed woman seated on knees above her, they're both in need of an ice bath.

"...Yeah," Asami speaks, her chest rising slightly faster than normal. "...yeah sure. I mean we have the whole honeymoon to..."

When Asami doesn't finish that sentence, Korra grins. "Do it all over again?"

Asami smiles wide and happily nods. Korra then grabs the arm of her wife and leads them on wobbly legs to their backpacks for a blanket.

Under that purple glow they snuggle together, in that way that they're both comfortable in, with Korra's head nestled into the crook of Asami's neck and Asami's head resting above Korra's protectively, under the safety of each other and of this world that's becoming more and more familiar. Only each other have they been with, only each other shall they ever be with.

The world isn't too big for just two people, not when those people have their own world.

* * *

**A/N #1: When I first started this I knew I wanted to write something that I would want to read. I wanted to read about a slowly building relationship between Korra and Asami once they were in the Spirit World, because they both know about their feelings for each other and they slowly grow into being a couple, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do that justice. I know I'm bad at slow burn so I did what I know how to do and went with the more unrealistic (but not improbable) approach and had them just get together immediately and spend their vacation cuddling with each other instead of how it probably went down in canon with the two of them steadily edging towards a romantic relationship.**

**I can't see Korra or Asami being with anybody else other than each other. There are some great fics out there where this does happen and I stay away from those as much as I can, no matter how curious I am or how amazing the writer is. So you won't find break-ups, cheating, divorces, or anything like that here, ever. Tragic stories are great, but for these two I just can't handle it.**

**Which by the way... All the writers, authors, readers on this website, on AO3, people on subreddits, artists on tumblr, fans everywhere, you keep this show alive. We all do. Thank you for that and let's not stop doing what we do.**

**Long live Avatar!**

**A/N #2: Thanks for sticking around. Working on this has been an enjoyable and fulfilling experience so I'm definitely not going back on the promise I made a few months ago. There is always more to come and I'm always still learning.**

**In the meantime, you should check out this guy if you haven't already (copy+paste and just add the fanfiction website url before):**

/u/1680947/MattHunX

**He updates a lot more often than I do (with separate stories instead of compiling them into chapters. Why? I don't know) and their fics—which are all post-cannon—are very long and enjoyable, full of fluff 'cause we can all do with a little more love in our lives. They're sometimes cheesy and silly too, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But there's another reason why I'm recommending MattHunX (he doesn't even know that I am), because I'm going away to someplace which almost guarantees you won't be seeing anything from me in another month until I get back.**

**Thank you again for reading my self-indulgent, hedonistic writing. Hopefully it gives you some small amount of entertainment of what it does for me.**

* * *

_Next Chapter:_

_**The End To A New Beginning**_

**6 YEARS AFTER THE BATTLE OF REPUBLIC CITY**

**180 YEARS AFTER THE AIR NATION GENOCIDE**

"Make a wish, Mommy!" says a little voice, no older than four.

"Yeah, hurry Sami!" Korra insists, almost in a fashion as childish as their daughter who's bouncing in the Avatar's lap.

"Why?" the engineer chuckles.

"There's a shooting star!" says Korra and points up into space.

While her wife and child are too occupied with discovering the phenomena, Asami's face slowly pales as she sees the celestial object begin to plunge into the atmosphere and break apart in an inferno, burning up the sky gradually into fiery reds. "Korra... That's not a shooting star."

_That's a comet..._

* * *

祸兮福之所倚，福兮祸之所伏 — _"Tao Te Ching, Chapter 58"_


	24. Intermission

**A/N:** While we wait for my lazy ass to finish the next chapter of the cycle, enjoy this little "ficlet" to hold you over (if that is the word for it).

Thanks guys.

* * *

_**The Cycle: Intermission**_

"The limbs are too fat to do anything, let alone walk. She claps with her arms and talks with her gums. What's so special about her? It's a baby, big deal!" Meelo huffs as they stand around the air temple grounds, waiting.

"You used to be a baby too, Meelo." Ikki says, annoyed.

"Yeah, but...! But look at Rohan! I did not look like that," he points a thumb over at his younger brother.

"Hey!" Rohan shakes his tiny knuckles, ready to start something again.

"Stop that." Tenzin refrains from airbending at his own children, even though they'd done so multiple times towards him. Instead he turns his sons by the heads, facing away from each other. Ikki and Jinora stood in front of their parents and between their arguing siblings, rolling their eyes.

"You're both acting like little babies right now, and don't look so innocent Ikki and Jinora."

"Korra!" The airkids all bounded for the Avatar in this order: Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan trudging over last but not least. Korra holds her arms out until the last of them enter her arms. She gives them a good squeeze to which they all groan, a different type of shout rising out of the four. "Korra!" Somewhere back there, Tenzin and Pema watch with fond smiles.

Korra just laughs and releases them. "You're all getting so big." She looked to Jinora. "You're no doubt going to outgrow me."

"At least in height. Spirits Korra, are you trying to crush us?" the young airbending master smiles whilst rubbing her pained chest.

The Avatar switches attention to Meelo next and ruffles his hair. "You keep out of trouble, ya hear?"

"Sir yes ma'am!"

Ikki looked like she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Alright, lay it on me," Korra conceeds.

But only one question comes: "When will we get to see her?"

The tribal woman appeared surprised, but rose.

"Yes, when will we see _her?"_ Pema concurs. Tenzin wraps his arm around his wife and seemed like he also very much wanted to see.

"Alright, just wait there." Korra rapidly strode over to the staircase she came up on from the docks and misses the group's eyes all lighting up. She motions with her hands to someone beyond. They all watch the island 'entrance' (really just a small gate/wooden arch), excited smiles adorning their faces. Even Jinora, who's so mature and composed all the time, was a mirror image of her brothers and sister.

Graceful steps climb the stairs with ease, black hair soaring in the wind, and the bundle at her chest gurgles with even spaces. She hears gasps as she makes it to the top and expects to be barreled down as her wife had been. That doesn't happen, so instead Asami looks over to an affectionate Korra who simply says, "You look radiant, my dear," and gives her a hug. They hold each other there on the top of the steps. The Avatar bends down to kiss her daughter's head, drawing a sweet sound from their baby.

"Thank you love," Asami says and nuzzles tenderly into Korra. As they close their eyes for just a moment, neither notice how the airbending family approaches the couple.

"She's beautiful," Jinora speaks sincerely as she finds Korra's deep blue irises. Although world-smart and experienced already as it is, she's still so young and she's floored by how much more emotion there is in the woman's eyes. It tells her how much left there is for her to know in this universe.

"That is true," Meelo says, being surprisingly gentle near the baby, and forgetting all about his earlier remarks.

"She's so cute," Ikki whispers and gasps, as though afraid to jostle this small human, both hesitant and excitable at the same time.

"Go on," Asami then says, and slowly crouches. "You can touch her." Korra's hand remains on her shoulder.

The youngest of the siblings reaches out to pat the baby's cheek. "And so soft," Rohan mumbles. There's a chorus of _aww_'s as the five-year-old meets the one-month-old.

Happy with their introductions, the kids step away to let their parents in.

"Hey there little fella." Pema pokes the baby's nose as a greeting. "Tenzin look at her! She is so adorable."

"I just hope your not thinking of another one," her husband jokes while rubbing the belly and making faces at that small person.

"No, four is _definitely_ enough." They both wear peaceful smiles as they give all their attention here and ignore the inevitable outbursts.

"Hey!" say the four in predictable defiance.

"Let's go inside. I'm sure you're hungry, and the little one as well I assume?" Pema turns toward the temple.

"Yes, let's," Korra replies for the three of them and starts walking side-by-side Asami and their child.

The two families have tea in the dining room while waiting for lunch. Asami sits in the corner, nursing the baby, chatting with Pema about what vegetarian foods they could cook, when Rohan decides to ask the magic question, "Daddy, how are babies made?"

This elicits a series of blushes from the adults at the table. But once food distracts them, Tenzin's courage reappears.

"I must say I'm impressed," her old master strokes his beard and tips his body forward, "and well, I must ask: how did you do it?"

"Well," Korra draws in some liquid leaf from her cup and cools it down before drinking, "Raava helped me. I didn't mean to at first, so it was kind of an unexpected pregnancy. We were celebrating our honeymoon in the Spirit World and it just...happened."

Asami laughs from the corner. "That's one way to put it. Not everyday you have a child with another woman, let alone the _Avatar_, but I think we should all be pretty used to small miracles from you now and then." _Make that 'huge', instead._

When they finish their tale, Tenzin and his family keep still, watching her intently, and the Avatar figures they're probably waiting for more when she wants to spare them and the kids the details. "And...uh, what can I say? I mean I feel really—no, extremely—lucky to have this incredibly amazing thing happen to us." It wasn't a lie. She did feel out-of-this-world lucky and fortunate and privileged to have a child of her own flesh and blood with the woman she loves. "Right, Asami?"

But in fact, the airbender family were just in awe of the Avatar, simply thinking, _What will this woman do next? _She once again misses the proud gazes of her airbenders. They were remembering those years when their Avatar was absent, when Asami—now a proud mother—would come to their doorstep, looking for company and her potential companion.

The wife walks over to her wife at the table, now that their newest family member was apparently full. Asami had one of those looks on her face that made Korra blush the most. "_How do you look at me like that? Like I'm the sun and the earth and moon all combined?"_

"_Because you are, to me."_ Asami had said when they talked about it before. "Honestly, it's the second best thing that's ever happened to me."

"The second best thing?"

"Because you are the first," Asami says effortlessly.

"Sami..." And then they might as well have been alone in the room.

Later, after putting the small girl in the crib, when they will be alone in their bedroom, and Asami asleep from their spirited lovemaking, Korra would wake in the middle of the night to a call from deep within her soul. And she would respond.

_Thank you, Raava._

…

_**You deserve it.**_


End file.
